Star Gazers and Moon Phases
by Qpidity
Summary: The true reason Remus was never Head Boy? Because Remus wasn't a boy. No, truth is- Remus was actually a little, female werewolf. Fem!Remus.
1. Prologue

Prologue: A Girl in the Boy's Lavatory

* * *

_Remus stood with both hands firmly bracing the cold, unforgiving porcelain of the bathroom sink. Water cascaded from the teen's frightened features, catching unnaturally in the deep divots that were scars. The boy's bathroom always smelled horrible, but the second one in the fourth corridor on the left hand side had recently undergone a very lovely redecoration, compliments of James Potter. How did Remus guess this? Potter's name was scrawled on the far wall, just above an active dung-bomb._

_Remus, however, didn't give a darn about any of the room's décor. The fact that breathing was becoming nearly impossible was what frightened the brown-haired youth past caring._

_Defense Against the Dark Arts class had been a nightmare, and the subject of bogarts hadn't even been breached. In fact, the only thing they had covered in the time slot was how to subdue a werewolf. This branched off into several new directions when the Professor asked why somebody would want to kill such a beast. The long talk even included the rather descriptive and analytical input from Severus Snape and Lily Evans, going so far as to comment on the qualities of werewolf blood and fur in potions, which was extremely hard to obtain from a living specimen._

_Jacob Abbott told the class how vengeance would be another reason, seeing as how many of the fowl creatures killed their victims. Another student simply stated that werewolves were a bane to the wizarding world._

_James, one of Remus's three room mates, and the same boy who destroyed the bathroom, brought up the fact that werewolves were being recruited by The Dark Lord's army. More and more muggle children were being found bitten and dead in attempts to scare people into believing in the new cause and frighten others into submission._

_Peter even spoke up, which was rare, saying that some families might do it for sport, while Sirius added that they might do it for blood purities sake. These were Remus's remaining two room mates._

_Remus's small, shivering fingers finally unlatched themselves from the sink long enough to begin to unbutton the dress shirt and shuck the heavy robe to the floor. Remus hoped that doing that would make a difference, but it didn't. Breathing became more sporadic as shoes tangled with limbs in a hurry to reach the toilet._

_Slamming the stall, Remus flung onto the ground before the bowl as quickly as possible, tearing at the remaining buttons and ignoring when they scattered the stone floor around the toilet. Remus knelt before it as though in some form of prayer before spouting the contents of lunch into its musty depths._

_Remus feverishly continued to remove the buttoned top, then tore at a layer of thick bandages around the torso, just above where a large chunk of flesh seemed to be missing near the stomach due to an animal bite. A rather large animal bite._

_A werewolf bite._

_This was one of the few times in Remus's horror filled life that God actually took pity, because nobody walked into the men's restroom while the small, sickly child had its panic attack. If they had, they would have quickly noticed how Remus was hardly the little boy they thought he was beneath all the bandages, scars, and robes. In fact, once Remus pulled away the final chest-binding bandage, it would have become apparent to anybody watching that Remus was not Remus at all._

_Remus was a girl._

_At times like these, the dainty fraud wondered how she even managed to be sorted into Gryffindor, or why she was living this lie when it was obviously weighing so heavy on her soul._

_Then she thought back on how she came to be, and wept until she could breathe again. Thankfully, nobody usually found her in such a state of disrepair. Privately though, she wished they would have. She really could have done with some form of helping hand. Her school life was nearly as stressful as her childhood, and that was terrible enough even with the memory loss._

_Her breath slowly began to hitch less often as she recalled the events leading up to her arrival at school. They weren't pretty memories, but they gave her current life meaning. It wasn't like she had many good memories to start with, and pretty wasn't exactly a word she often thought could be used to describe her. Monstrous was a much better descriptive._


	2. A Monster in the Wardrobe

Chapter 1: A Monster in the Wardrobe

* * *

~Several years prior~

When Lyall Lupin arrived home that night he knew something terrible was going on. The feeling had nothing to do with the fact that he insulted a highly dangerous 'being' at work just days before. It also had nothing to do with the fact that the very creature he insulted slipped through their fingers when every other member of his department was too incompetent to see the monster for what it was- a werewolf.

He wasn't worried about what an angered werewolf could do to his family at the moment. The man who ran the division of magical beings knew Lyall was right about the supposed muggle, 'Fenrir Greyback,' as soon as he escaped being obliviated after a rather long interrogation session. The session in question had to do with what had happened to several dismembered, non-magic wielding children.

During the interrogation Lyall said some things that he really shouldn't have said to a homicidal maniac, but the bodies of the children were near the same age of his own, which was what drove him over the edge. The leader of the Division of Dark and Dangerous Beings told Mr. Lupin he had nothing to worry about when they recognised their mistake. It was a rather an understatement in Lyall's mind, to consider it a mistake, but that was what they were deeming it nonetheless. He promised Lyall they would catch Fenrir. After all, how smart could a werewolf be?

So Lyall didn't worry too much. He had enough to deal with in his own division of the Ministry dealing with poltergeist and bogarts and unruly ghosts. He really didn't have enough time on his hands to worry about a possible werewolf threat anymore. _Besides_, he thought to himself,_ it's the full moon tonight. If Greyback is anywhere, he's in hiding. If he is as smart as we credit him for, he'll hunt me down in a few weeks when he regains the strength he lost from the transformation._

So, Lyall wasn't very worried about the thought of a werewolf with a grudge against him. No. That night he was worried about his two little angels, Romula and Remus.

Romula and Remus were very close, much unlike the twins they were named after. Even though they were only four years old, they loved each other dearly, and never once thought about hurting one another.

The only thing that could ever change that sibling love was the thing they hadn't even discovered existed yet: the monster in their wardrobe.

"Hope, dear, why are our little pups being so unusually... quiet?" Lyall asked, looping his arms around his wife's stomach and pulling her away from the pile of dirty dishes in the sink. He planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek like he did so many nights before, making her giggle like the lovesick girl he adored.

Both husband and wife had taken to calling their babies 'pups.' They were actually named after Lyall, whose name meant 'wolf' in some other dialect. Also, Lupin sounded a lot like 'lupine.' When all was said and done, Hope and Lyall Lupin couldn't think of better names for their twin children. Romulus and Remus were ancient rulers of Rome, raised by wolves as children. So, they were 'Lyall's pups.'

Oddly enough, though, neither his daughter nor his son would look at him that night. As soon as dinner ended, they found a comfortable edge of the sofa and moped, 'humphing' in time with the other, in perfect harmony, or shooting terrified looks at noises from across the room.

"Dear, don't be mad at me." Hope shifted comfortably in her husband's arms, feeling the need to see his face as she admitted this to him. "You know how they went over to their grandparent's today?"

Lyall growled , knowing where the conversation was going. Every time his baby twins had a run in with his in-laws they came away thinking less of their old man. "What is it this time? Did they bring up my funny hat? The fact that I don't drive a car? How about my clothes- I am sure they have been itching to talk about how unusual that is, seeing as how they are such narrow-minded muggles!" He instantly regretted that remark when he saw the withering look on Hope's face.

"Need I remind you that you married a muggle?" She swatted his hands away from her hips in annoyance. "And they didn't mention you once! They told our children how they met."

At this Lyall's face dropped and he spun to eye his children in the living room with rapt attention. They did look rather frightened, but he was fairly certain it had nothing to do with their grandparent's love story. "Please, tell me you didn't!"

"They were curious, Lyall. They wanted to know how their mum and dad met. Who was I to tell them no?" She faltered, but stood her ground as he rounded on her.

He just stood there, slightly shocked as to what his wife had done. "I hadn't even told them what they were yet! I haven't even had time to observe if they _have_ magic! You have just slapped them in the face with the cruel harsh _reality_ of... magic! And you told them- FOUR YEAR OLDS- about bogarts?!"

"Yes, I did! I thought it was a very romantic story- how you came into the room and vanquished the foul beast while whisking me off my feet." Hope cut him off with a motion of her hand, "And before you go on about how one might not have magic, they both have already shown signs of taking after you in that respect. I should know, seeing as how I chose to take care of them while you go gallivanting around who knows where, leaving me at home to worry!"

Lyall just stood, mouth agape in shock. "They're... That's not the point! You told them about the monster's that might be in their very own closet, under their bed, or in their wardrobe for goodness sakes! We'll never get a moment alone!" He massaged his temples in irritation. "They will have me checking their room every night before bed, and we already do it often enough as it is!"

"Then talk to them, Lyall." Hope looked at him from beneath her lashes, feeling slightly guilty for stressing her husband so much. In truth, she knew very little about the wizarding world, but she tried to take everything in stride when it came to the man she fell in love with. If she was going to be honest with herself, the bogart that Lyall saved her from when she worked as a secretary had very little to do with why she fell in love with him. It honestly scared her, a lot. What she loved was his charming and quirky attitude, and his magnetic personality. His caramel brown hair and deep brown eyes helped too, she supposed.

"I will." Lyall grumbled with a smirk, leaning in to kiss his wife's cheek, wondering how he got so lucky to be with a woman as beautiful as her.

He walked out into the living-room to eye his jittery children. "Romula, Remus, I need to have a word with you." He sat down between the two while they eyed him suspiciously.

He really didn't know where to start. He could tell there was curiosity burning in their little eyes, but he hadn't planned on having this conversation with them until they were at least ten or eleven. Even then, he doubted he would have been ready.

He took a deep breath and-

"Why don't you two go get ready for bed and I will talk to you both when I tuck you in?" He smiled at his two most precious gifts in the world. "I think that's better. You both look tired, and this will be a long talk." Lyall quickly stood and strode out of the room before the two children could question his judgment on the matter.

So, Romula and Remus raced to their room, like any child would, eager to get in bed to listen to what their father had to tell them about this strange new world their mother already mentioned. It was slightly unnerving how dark the hallways were with the sun down, but they stayed brave.

They were even brave when they heard the noise coming from inside their room.

They could hardly make out each others outline in the shadows, but they hesitantly nodded to each other before reaching out. One of the two swiftly opened the door while the other slipped its hand in and turned the light switch.

_Rattle, Rattle, Bam, Smack!_

Their joint wardrobe gave ominous creaks as it jittered about the room with an unknown occupant, tap-dancing across the floor on its four wooden legs. It was almost comical at first glance, as though the wardrobe came to life and began to bumble around on its hand-carved, animal paw feet with such unbridled exuberance one might expect them to shatter on the hardwood floor.

"Remus, I think daddy accidentally brought home bogart with him!" Romula shrieked, running into the room and standing on her bed in fear of what it might turn into. According to her mother it was supposed to turn into your greatest fear, and she honestly was frightened to find out what that was... though, also terrifyingly curious.

Chuckling at his sister, Remus just prodded the furniture with his foot. "Calm down. 'S locked, see? I'll get dad."

It didn't seem too suspicious to either of the children as to how a bogart got into a locked wardrobe, but perhaps they were just too young to connect the dots yet.

While Remus bounced out of the room with all the enthusiasm his little four-year old body could handle, and probably would ever hold again, Romula just looked at the wardrobe mutely.

What if her fear was something dumb. She might not have a fear at all! She never really thought about it, but it must have been important. She was afraid of losing Remus. That was a fear, wasn't it? She was afraid of people not wanting to be her friend, but that was just silly. How were those fears. They were all childish!

Slowly, she eased herself off of her bed and on to the small area rug. She needed to see this. Her true fear couldn't be about baby things. She wasn't a baby anymore. She was four. She would face that bogart and see for herself what she was truly afraid of.

It was slightly terrifying to her that the entity seemed to stop moving as soon as she started towards it. It was almost as though it could see her, hear her... or smell her. She didn't let that silly thought deter her for long. Romula quickly grabbed the wardrobe key from her bedside table, pushed it in the hole, and-

Lyall Lupin flew through the door just as she began to tug on the wardrobe door. The only thought that rolled through the depths of his mind was how he would hate to lose his family to a dark creature. He felt the fear he was denying earlier clench at his heart when he saw the full moon eyeing him through his children's window. It was because of that split second of terror that he was hardly surprised at what emerged from the depths of the wardrobe. After all, his son had just come to him moments before claiming a bogart was in their room, and a bogart was most likely to mimic the fears of the strongest wizard in the room.

Then again, he probably shouldn't have listened to his four-year old son, who didn't even know wizards existed until earlier that same day.

"ROMULA, NO!" Her father cried out, but it was too late.

That was the last thing she heard before being enveloped by something covered in fur. It wasn't the nice kind of fur from what she could remember, either. It was coarse, and bristly, like her father's chin hair when he was so stressed that he forgot to shave.

She didn't see its face, but she knew it must have had one, because she felt something hot bite down on her midsection and was then enveloped in pain. It coursed through her system like the fear that she knew she was now experiencing.

That had to be what fear was. Fear hurt so much, so why was she dumb enough to wonder what it was!

Romula didn't remember anything after that besides waking up to her father, who was looking as sad as he did disappointed and annoyed. His arms were crossed, and he was leaning up against the far wall as if he were trying to stand as far away from her as possible.

"You missed your birthday," He grumbled to the now five-year old in bed. It was a bed that she didn't recognise, and a room that she had never seen before. "Remus did to, in case you were wondering," The elder Lupin spat jadedly before turning to the door.

Romula blinked in confusion at what had been said. "Wh-where is my brother?" She almost sobbed. "Where's mum?"

Lyall spun back around pacing the entrance like a wolf. "Your brother is dead, and my wife is- she- Hope is gone! At a hospital. She's very sick, your mother." He slammed his fist into the door frame to gain her fading attention. "Lets not forget that you are a monster on top of everything else! Aren't I just a spectacular parent?"

"But, the bogart?" Romula quickly remembered from the rush of several flitting memories. Some memories she knew were eluding her, because when she last opened her closet her birthday was about a month off. Wearily, she rubbed her head in confusion.

Lyall laughed dryly at her reminder. "It turns out that the monster wasn't a bogart. Just another way I failed, it seems. It would have been easier to deal with a bogart, and your wounds wouldn't have been so... and he-" he punched the wall again. "Remus wouldn't have died!"

Romula flinched at his words. "Then what was it?"

He spun around, glaring at her angrily. "It was a ruddy werewolf! You are a ruddy werewolf, and you are going to be cursed for the rest of your life to be miserable and hated by society." He ran a shaking hand through his hair.

Romula just sat on her bed, feeling completely empty inside. "Oh."

That was all she could say before the floodgates opened and she began sobbing , looking like a fragile, broken china doll with four deep gashes fracturing her once perfect face. The tears stung as much as her father's words did, but how is a five-year old to know that her father's anger and harsh words weren't directed completely at her? How was she to know that he loathed himself for not being able to protect her, for being stupid enough to let his son die, and not being able to shield his wife from the harsh realities of the world?

A small part of him did blame his daughter. If only she hadn't opened the wardrobe... but then he realized that he should have been able to stop it. He was a sham of a wizard.

Lyall stormed out of the room, leaving his daughter to ponder his words.

She was a monster? Why couldn't she remember anything after the attack?

Of course, she soon found out what she truly was, but she never completely remembered everything from her month lost. The month when she became a werewolf, as her father put it. Something that happened locked those memories deep in the recesses of her mind to be unlocked at a later date, when she found the right key.

She did, however, know fear, and she felt it every full moon, every time she opened a closet or wardrobe, and every time she made a new friend. Because fear, the one thing she wondered about on that horrible night, was the same thing that now ruled her life.

All because of the werewolf in her wardrobe.

* * *

Sorry if this isn't going the way you expected it to go, but my plot bunny has taken me to a great place! And the Chapters are getting longer!

And yes, it will be fem Remmy. That will be cleared up in the next chappy or two.


	3. A New Start with an Old Name

Chapter 2: A New Start with an Old Name

* * *

Several years passed since the incident in the old Lupin home, and many houses came and went, also. Neighbors quickly became suspicious of the workaholic father and his oddball daughter who always seemed to be locked in the attic or basement. Rumors all revolved around the assortments of shrieks that came from the house on seemingly random nights, along with the absence of his wife. When Hope Lupin did return home from St. Mungo's mental ward for occasional visits the gossip would only grow worse. Muggles often wondered what on earth could have happened to make such a beautiful, young woman so broken inside.

Eventually calls were made by some nosey do-gooder, and the broken family was gone before the muggle enforcers could even start to look into it.

Truthfully, Lyall loved his family with all of his heart, he simply didn't know how to show Romula the love she needed... not after her brother's death. Sadly, she was all he had left besides his job. Yes, his wife was still alive, but she was usually mentally absent. So, he did his best to protect the remaining piece of his family he had left, even if it seemed fruitless at times.

Why on earth would somebody want to keep a werewolf alive?

She was quite literally a creature only family could love, in his eyes. Lyall knew that the moment he stopped protecting her, some vicious wizard or witch would snatch her up and kill her.

And he had a terrible feeling that was what somebody was doing just then.

"I locked all the windows, and the doors are secure!" A haggard Lyall said in a hushed whisper as he bent to Romula's eye level. "Are you certain you saw somebody out there?" The tall, caramel haired man looked down at his daughter, who bore a striking resemblance to him now, prompting her to speak. He looked exactly like the child before him in every way except for the way the her hair brushed past slim hips in a very feminine manner, and the way Romula's eyes were a striking light brown like her mother's, and the four gashes running across her lower face. They were all equally spread across her face starting at her right cheek and ending on her left. One of the more painful looking ones crossed the bridge of her nose, while the lowest ended mid-chin. Thankfully, they weren't as deep as they looked and could generally be covered in large amounts of cover-up potion.

"Yes, Daddy. He was-" She started in a high-pitched squeak.

Before the child could finish her thought, however, she was cut off by a loud puffing sound from the fireplace. In a flurry of motions, her father had grabbed her painfully by the arms and dragged her into the cluttered kitchen, nearly tripping over the empty boxes left near the doorway from their last move.

"OW! Daddy, that hurt!"

Her father frowned down at her, a rare flash of emotions flaring in his slightly pain filled eyes. Flicking his wand at the lock and hesitating for the tell-tail click that signaled the charm was active, he turned resolutely back to his child. "I'm sorry, sweet-pea." With more grace than one would think possible for a man who looked as though he hadn't slept in days, he gently took her wrist in his hand and soothed it with his weathered palms. "I won't let anybody take you from me. I couldn't bear losing you, too."

"I know, dad. Why are we in the kitchen?"

The man let her hand fall back to her side as he observed the room, looking for any tactical advantages. "No windows, for one. This way our mystery visitor can't find their way-"

The little girl found the racket almost comical as it interrupted her father, but Lyall suddenly froze in horror at the echoing rattle that immediately erupted from the stove. In one swift movement, a foot emerged from the oven, kicking the door clean off. It was soon followed by a second foot, two weedy legs, a body, and a soot covered face. Two, long, bandy arms tried to wipe the black off of its half-moon glasses, and a long, coal coated beard clean with no success.

"What a pity that I did not wear my black attire today." The elder wizard said once he had sorted himself out, attempting several self-cleaning charms on his rather flashy, red and yellow-cuffed robes. Both of the other occupants of the room simply looked on in shock. "I really did like this old cloak, and it will be a pity to let it go." He informed them sorrowfully.

"Dumbledore?" The small girl's father choked out in confusion when he saw his old headmaster in his kitchen. "What are you doing here?"

"Lyall Lupin! It has been far too long, I fear!" The older wizard grinned and looked down at the small child standing confusedly in front of her father, who was still barring the door to the kitchen like his life depended on it. "And this must be your precious daughter, Romula!" The man's bright blue eyes twinkled for several moments as he looked at the girl before turning his gaze back to her father. "I was sorry to hear about your son, Remus. It is always sad to hear of the death of a child."

Lyall was suddenly at a loss for words. "H-how do you know about that?"

Dumbledore let out a chuckle at his old students surprise. "One can hear about a great many things by simply listening and checking facts." He tapped his long, crooked nose secretively.

Romula suddenly found herself dragged protectively behind her father as he pulled his shaking wand out in front of him. "You might be a very powerful wizard, but I will do everything in my power to protect my daughter if you are here to take her from me." Lyall gulped in sudden realization of who he was holding his wand to. If this wizard wanted, they would both be dead and he knew it, though he really hoped he could bluff his way out of trouble. "I hope you understand that, Albus, so I am going to ask you again- Why are you here?"

The school master just laughed at his old pupil. "I have no ill intentions, my dear boy."

Romula looked at her father in confusion as she heard the man refer to her father as a 'boy.' In her opinion, her father was far too old to ever be considered as such, but she decided not to point this out to the man seeing as how her father still had his wand pointed at the elder's warbling beard.

"I have come to make personal arrangements for your child to attend my school as you once did. Hopefully, if we play our cards right, she may attain the same amount of schooling other children her age do without her father having to quit his job to teach her." His eyes twinkled mischievously as he said this, slowly reaching for his inside pocket to retrieve a tri-fold paper.

"This is the letter I send to all new students, but there are several oddities I must discuss with you first, in order to enroll your child without risking unwanted attention from the Ministry." As the letter was passed to Lyall's restless hands he nearly dropped his wand in his hurry to open it, completely forgetting that the man might have posed a threat just moments ago.

Dumbledore, however, didn't seem to mind one way or another whether a wand was pointing at him or not. An air of dignified grace seemed to surround the older gentleman no matter what degree of danger he found himself in..._ or who's oven he found himself crawling out of_, Romula thought to herself dryly.

"I know, Lyall, that you are in a rather comfortable position in the ministry," Dumbledore began while Lyall skimmed the page. "I would hope, however, that your allegiances lie with your family over your employment. If that is not the case, I fear that my plan for your daughter may not work." Dumbledore looked at the small girl who was eyeing at him curiously from behind her father. It was just less than a week till the next full moon and he could already see how her ailment was draining her complexion. He could hardly imagine being the father of such a beautiful young flower, only to watch it wilt every month. She was a scrawny thing too, and for some odd reason he doubted very much that it had anything to do with what they were or weren't feeding her. Becoming sickly, so often, for so many years must have had some more physical side effects.

Lyall let out a chuckle as to what his old headmaster was insinuating. "I have become accustomed to hiding truths from my workmates, Dumbledore." This announcement broke Albus out of his thoughts and brought his attention back to Lyall Lupin as he slammed the Hogwarts letter on the kitchen table in front of him. "If they would have listened to me back in the day, then maybe Romula wouldn't have become what she is!"

While he may have been too caught up in his own thoughts to catch what he said, Romula did. Dumbledore saw her wince and look away, but said nothing.

"I understand, but it will be rather difficult to fool the ministry. On the night of the attack, Romula was registered as a werewolf in the Werewolf Registry Office shortly after she was brought to St. Mungo's," Dumbledore frowned, pulling more paperwork out of his robes to show to Lyall. "Remus, though, was never registered even when he received more injuries than his sister. Isn't that an oddity?" Dumbledore's eyes shimmered as though he knew more than he was letting on. "This was based purely on speculation that he would not survive to his first full moon, I am sure. Am I correct?" Lyall gave a stiff and unwilling nod, eyes boring dangerously into Dumbledore's.

Romula ignored the odd conversation of her elders, knowing they were probably discussing something they didn't want her to hear. She wasn't stupid. The way they danced around the problem made her almost positive that they didn't want her to understand. Her father never wanted her to listen to anything about her brother's death, and they hardly ever talked about the night in question as it was. Instead, she noticed that one of the papers Dumbledore held was a list of all registered werewolves.

Romula's name was indeed among the unlucky dozens that the older man motioned to. "It is with my deepest sorrows that I note he did not make it to that date, but in the mayhem that surrounded the event they must have forgotten to mark one major thing in the Lupin family records." The usual twinkle was back in the Professor's eyes as he retrieved a list of dead wizards and witches that must have been too large to fit in his pocket, but defied logic by doing so anyway. "They never recorded the fact that Remus John Lupin died, Lyall. According to wizarding records, your son is still alive."

Lyall simply let out a growl of rage. "My son deserves to rest in peace, Albus! He doesn't even have a headstone!" Lyall was nearly shaking with rage at the sudden revelation.

"That is often protocol for one who dies of a cursed wound, but that is not the point, Lyall. This mishap could help your daughter," The elder wizard said flippantly.

"Albus, it is very kind of you to offer this to my family, but I am asking too much of you, I fear." Lyall pulled the attention back to the matter of his daughter's schooling before the circumstances surrounding the attack could be probed further before his daughter, who was still rather innocent to the topic. Lyall knew for a fact that she couldn't remember many of the events surrounding the attack, and wished for it to stay that way for her own good. He didn't want another Hope Lupin running about, half mad. "The Ministry has strict documentation of all known werewolf victims. My daughter's name is in the werewolf registry, and has been since the night I blasted that wretched mutt off of her brother. End of discussion."

Almost instantly the twinkle was back full burn in Albus's eyes. "Ah, yes! While I have no qualms with a Were-student, the records are open to the public. Students will find out from their parents, who will wish to have me kicked out in no time." Dumbledore nodded. "That is why I have no intention to take Romula as a student directly."

Her father suddenly looked furious, but his voice remained dangerously calm. "Then why travel so far only to give us false hope?"

"My dear man, be patient and let me explain!" Dumbledore scolded, pulling one of the kitchen chairs out and sitting on it. "I grow weary of trying to placate you. Were you not one of the best Ravenclaws of your year? Start acting like it."

When Albus was certain there would be no more interruptions he continued with his plan. "The registration bureau has been stretched thin as of late in the ministry. Many of the registers are driven into different sections with the new regulations that are put in place nearly every week. From what I have heard, this caused many of the other departments to become quite understaffed when the werewolf registry office was put in place. Apparently, the ministry switched workers from other jobs to that one. They would quit little more than a month later, of course." Dumbledore shook his head at the thought. "Poor dears had to deal with some very nasty people in that line of work, as I am sure you know, and eventually determined it was not worth their time."

Lyall nodded. "I know. Many aurors have become accustomed to documenting our own papers lately, but it isn't very efficient."

"Neither are the registry offices, apparently. While your daughter was registered the day she was brought in, her brother was not. His name is listed no where in the Werewolf Registry's records, even though he apparently died of a fatal werewolf bite." He eyed Lyall, hoping his words sunk in.

Lyall nodded at the elder's repeated words, not quite getting what his deceased son had to do with any of the current situation. Knowing Dumbledore, he probably knew what happened that night more than Lyall did. Hopefully, he thought, it would start making sense soon.

Dumbledore smiled, almost feeling the impatience roiling off of his old student. "The Office of Death and Dismemberment, oddly enough, didn't sign his death certificate, either. Over the course of several months young Remus's Files were curiously misplaced."

Lyall simply grunted in acknowledgment, looking at the confused expression on his daughter's face from the corners of his eye, thankful that Dumbledore had kept the story to its dry bones.

"As is protocol, your son's body was cremated I assume?"

Lyall nodded mutely as he remembered watching his son's small form burn personally.

"Splendid!"

This caused the little girl to jump to action from behind her father and storm up to the tall wrinkled wizard in a fit of rage. "How is anything you just said 'Splendid?' My brother is DEAD, you old coot!" Before any more embarrassing comments could come hurling his way, Lyall swiftly clamped a hand around his daughter's still vocal mouth as it cursed into his hand, though her eyes were still blazing at the wizard.

"My deepest apologies. Sometimes she can be a bit rambunctious. I say it's the wolf in her, but Hope says it's her Scottish descent." He knew Hope was absolutely wrong when she said this, because they had no Scottish descent, but there was no sense arguing with her when she got into one of her moods.

Albus shook his head with a chuckle. "No worries. I deal with all sorts come school-time."

"Back to what you were saying, though. How is anything about my son's death good?"

Albus let out a soft sigh. "A death is never good, but the fact that there is no record of his death is very helpful, as I am sure you know. He is nowhere in the registry, and there are no documents listing him as dead. According to the entire Wizarding World, your son still exists and has never been bitten by a werewolf."

If Lyall had a light bulb above his head, it would be shimmering gold. "Oh! She will enter school as her brother?" He paused to mull over the possibilities. "Will that work?"

The Headmaster nodded in confirmation. "Yes. I already have a safe place for her to retreat to every full moon, along with the Healer who treated your family at St. Mungo's hired on as the school nurse. The witch was instantly taken with the idea of helping the poor dear. She accepted the job when I told her the plan verging on seven years ago. I had no idea things would play out so smoothly back then, though." He sent Lyall a charming smile.

Lyall nodded, looking at his daughter who had finally stopped trying to lash out at the School Master. "What do you want, Romula?"

She looked up at her dad, eyes showing a sudden haunted fear in their depths. That was one thing Lyall disliked about his daughter. She was overly emotional, and it reminded him too much of Hope. "I-I don't want to go to school." She almost shivered as the words passed her lips. "Because people... people hate werewolves, don't they dad?" Shooting her father a weak smile she looked away, knowing fully what her fathers opinions were on the topic.

Lyall opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Romula with a stern look. "You don't have to lie. That's why you are always telling me to keep to myself when we go out, or why we have to move." She frowned and wrung out her fingers. "But I guess that's why I want to go to school, in an odd sort of way."

Albus was the first to recover his ability to speak after that announcement. "Why is that, Romula?"

She turned to him and offered a nervous, tight-lipped smile. "Because if everybody is afraid of what I am, I'll just have to show them what a kind person I can be. Hopefully, once they learn about who I am, they won't hate what I am every month." Nervously, she rocked back on her feet, "And maybe this will help them with relationships with other dark creatures?" She paused, smiling to herself. "Yeah... they can't be all that bad, can they?"

Her father frowned at her sternly. "I want you to do what you want to do, Romula."

"I don't want to live life afraid of my own shadow, dad," Romula shot back.

Eyes widening, she turned to face the old man with the half-moon specials in sudden realization. "Does this mean I have to cut my hair, dress like a boy, and... live in the boy's dorm?" She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

The elder just smiled merrily at her. "That will be the price for knowledge, but fear not. The only persons who will be informed of your situation will be myself, Madam Pomfrey, and whoever your head of house ends up being. If there are any troubles with your roommates we will be able to sort it out immediately." He noticed her softly running fingers through her long hair.

"I also regret to tell you that, because of your already very feminine features you will be asked to cut your hair. Short. And when you start developing in other ways, you will need to think of ways to hide your... feminine figure, shall we say?"

Romula turned a dark shade of red in realization, but nodded. It needed to be said by someone.

"I understand and accept your terms. I will go to school under my brother's name, and I will do my best to hide my secret of being a werewolf- and being a girl- from everybody in exchange for seven years of schooling." She looked at the two older men, excitement gleaming in her eyes. "If I do all of this I will be a normal witch some day, right?"

Both men gave her sad, strained smiles. "I hope so, baby-doll." Lyall muttered as he pulled his daughter in for an embrace. One day, hopefully in the near future, she would be able to walk the world without being persecuted. One day, there might even be a cure.

Dumbledore smiled at the two as they held on to each other for dear life. Inside, he knew the road to becoming a normal witch would be a treacherous one indeed, but he would do everything in his power to give her what little normality he could.

The fate of a werewolf was a sad one.

* * *

The next several chapters will really start moving things along and making things come together. Also, be ready for an appearance of Sirius and James, among other faves!

I also realized that I forgot to mention that I don't own any of these guys, and I don't get any money for writing these. In fact, I get negative money, because time is money. If I only had a time-turner.


	4. Lost Hope

Chapter 3: Lost Hope

* * *

The world of muggles and magic mixed like oil and water. It was a well known fact. Even knowing this, Lyall still found himself falling madly in love with the beautiful creature known as Hope Howell. She was a stunning woman, though very much a muggle. Much to his surprise, she did not run from him screaming when he saved her from the terrifying form of a rather weak Bogart. She also did not fall apart when he described to her curious mind the odd world he lived in. She was filled with a child-like wonder.

When they wed it was the happiest day in her life. That day, she could finally be a part of this magical world she heard so much about. In the beginning, they were both filled with so much hope.

Sadly, in just six short years she was shown just how unforgiving the wizarding world was. That was the day her lovely child, Remus, died at the jaws of a creature she never knew even existed, and they found out his twin sister was going to be cursed for the rest of her life.

That was the day Lyall knew that magic and non-magic would never mix. On that day he lost his son's life, his daughter's humanity, and his wife's sanity.

Of course he blamed it on himself, but he couldn't seem to let her go. He would never put his wife under a memory charm, and would gladly pay for her hospital bills when she became too stressed and went overboard.

He loved what little part of Hope he had left, though, no matter how much it hurt when she forgot who he was.

~0~

"Mum! Dad and I just got back!" Romula called through the house, hoping her mother was having one of her good days.

Romula ran a delicate hand through her _much_ shorter hair. She hated it. In her opinion she looked like a boy, but then again that was what her father had been aiming for with the cutting and styling spells before they left that morning. Normally she never left the house, but her father made an exception seeing as how she needed to get school supplies.

Romula eyed her new things with excitement, overjoyed with the prospect of having her own stuff, even if most of it was heavily used. She once had quite a nice collection of books... until her wolf form stumbled upon it, deciding that it wanted to devour the knowledge in a rather literal way.

Her attention was snapped away from her new things at the sound of her mother's tottering footsteps. When Romula looked up, she saw the usual blank expression that adorned her mother's docile face. She looked at the cracked walls of their current living space with an odd wonderment, as if she thought she were looking at a place with more beauty and finery than the Taj Mahal. Anything caused that look of pure, innocent wonder on her mother's face lately, even their cobwebbed, crumbling home, which she really should have gotten use to by their fifth week of dwelling there.

Romula didn't really remember how many homes she had been to in the years since her bite, but it was quite a few. They left a neighborhood whenever a person became too suspicious of her monthly illnesses, broken bones, gashes, and the bruises that accompanied most of her transformations. Many of the families attributed her illness and injuries to malnourishment and child abuse, among other cruelties. Just weeks before anything was done about it, the Lupin family would vanish with little to no warning or trace. Romula privately wondered how many wanted posters were out there looking for her father.

It was due to these many house changes, St. Mungo visits, and mental ward bills that caused her family to be so poor. Lyall had a very good job in the ministry, but he was still worked to the bone to support his unstable home life. This was possibly the cause of Lyall's usual overtime, though it may have also had to do with the enormous amount of regret he felt upon greeting Romula nightly. Usually she was already asleep by the time he got home on the nights that he worked. The times he didn't work they usually spent silently in separate parts of the small homes they inhabited. She only ever actually saw him when Hope made her monthly visits.

Romula looked at her mother sadly. She loved her so much, but the poor woman was so obviously broken on the inside. No amount of magic would fix it.

"Mum? Are you okay?"

Hope suddenly jolted from her spacey state of mind and looked her child dead in the eyes like she had never seen her before. Not another one of those days, Romula thought helplessly.

"My... baby?" Hope suddenly croaked. With that, she dashed into her daughter's arms, and began to sob uncontrollably, leaving a very confused Romula to simply stand in stunned silence at the unusual affections.

"They told me you were DEAD, sweety!" She choked. At that moment, Lyall stepped through the door to witness rare intimacy between mother and daughter. He smiled, until he heard the next words cross his wife's lips.

"I knew they were lying. I knew you were still alive, Remus!"

Romula felt like her mother reached into her chest and pulled out her heart in one swift movement. She would hug Remus, but she has never hugged me. Both her and her father exchanged a quick look over the woman's shaking shoulder.

"Darling, let go of our baby. You're squeezing her-him too hard." Lyall soothed the manic woman, massaging her tense shoulder with his thumb when he reached out. "Why don't you go lie down, Hope? I'll finish dinner with R-Remus."

She nodded in a way that seemed to make Romula suspect that she was going back to her deeper insanity for a moment, then shuffled into the kitchen.

Romula simply stared hauntedly after her mother's retreating figure before spinning worriedly to her father, furrowing her soft brows. "It was my haircut, wasn't it?" Romula asked in a dread filled voice after a few moments of silence. "She... won't always think I am Remus, will she?"

Her father shrugged, handing her the second-hand boy's clothes they had also purchased in their school shopping escapade. "I have no clue, but it makes her happy, Romula. I can't bear to tell her he died. Not again." He pointed to the clothes. "Just incase, put on a pair of jeans before mealtime. I don't want your mother to become confused when she sees our son in a skirt." His head snapped to the kitchen when the sound of plated shattering met their ears. "She is confused enough as it is."

With that, Lyall left Romula with a slightly worried look on her face to make dinner and stop his wife from hurting herself.

Romula really didn't like the idea of being forced to be a boy in her own home when she was already going to have to be a boy most of the year, except holiday… when she came home. No... this was her safe place!

She really didn't like the idea of pretending to be a boy so often, but then again... she didn't want her mother to be hurt.

Sighing, she hefted the bag of clothes over her shoulder. It would just have to work as practice for when she went to school. Speaking of that, she needed to pack.

~0~

Being seen off by her parents was one of the most embarrassing and nerve wracking things she ever knew. Embarrassing because she was trying to fend off her mother's constant sobbings and hugs while she wailed about how proud she was that her beautiful little boy was becoming a wizard, and how he had to write daily.

It was nerve wracking because her father kept shooting her a hard glare every time she managed to fight off her mother's ill gotten affections.

"Hope, dear, could you go to the car and get it ready? I will be along in just a moment. I want to help our son with his bags." He spoke to her with a tone most adults would have used with slow children, but when his wife was so energetic it was the best to speak slow so she did not misunderstand him. Anybody who overheard the conversation would have probably mistaken him for being a cruel and controlling, sexist pig.

"Yes, Lyall!" With that, Hope gave her husband a mock salute and wandered off in the direction of the platform wall that they entered from. Lyall, however, grabbed his fake son's arm and pulled her away from the throng of students to where they wouldn't be overheard if they whispered.

"I dont have much time, and I would really hate for your mother to wander too far, so just listen."

Romula nodded when she saw the look of stern seriousness cross his face.

"You are going to school to learn, and that is the only thing you are to do, understood? Nobody is to learn of any of your secrets. If your secrets are revealed it could be damning not only to your life, but mine and Dumbledore's." He grabbed her shoulders to ensure her attention was completely his, causing her to wince. Normally she wouldn't have batted an eye, but she was one night away from her transformation. Obviously, her father was too caught up to notice or remember.

"What we are doing breaks several serious wizarding laws. Best case scenario, Albus and I loose our jobs and you are kicked out. Worst, and most likely case, we get arrested for fraud and endangerment and are put in Azkaban to rot while you are 'put down.'"

Romula's eyes widened at the horror of what he was suggesting. If she would have known that little tidbit, she probably would never have enrolled!

"I will only tell you this once- Wizards are sharp. All of your fellow classmates are still young, but many have grown up in very powerful wizarding families. If you even give them a chance they will catch you in a tangle of lies that will choke you." He patted her shoulders lovingly. "I want you to promise me you will only go to classes. Do not make any associations, no friends, and I will not stand for hearing you make any unnecessary trouble for Dumbledore. No funny business, only knowledge, understand?"

Romula nodded, biting her lip in worry, and tugging uncomfortably at her used robes. "Yes father."

He nodded and began leading her back to the train, holding her bags out for her. "Just remember. A lot is resting on your shoulders... and stop that!"

Romula nearly jumped out of her skin at the harsh tone her father suddenly used. She quickly noticed the curious glances they were earning from around the platform, but it was obvious her father didn't notice them in his sudden outburst. "Daddy-"

She flinched away when he swatted at her hand, which was reaching out to his in an attempt to sooth the suddenly angered man. "Stop playing with your hair, stand up straighter, don't bite your lips," he barked in a military like fashion. "You are a boy! Start acting like one, and stop acting like such a little girl!"

Romula froze as the words crossed his frowning lips. She suddenly felt the cold, pain filled emotions settle in her stomach as she grabbed her luggage and ran for the train.

He probably wishes his precious Remus lived that night. She could hardly control the flood of tears when she felt her father's large hand roughly grab her elbow and dragged her back to his side. "You are Remus Lupin. Remember what we talked about."

She nodded furiously, thankful that the bangs of her hair could still shadow her face.

Lyall suddenly noticed how many people were on the platform. While most parents turned away from the small family quarrel, several were shooting him looks of disdain. Children, however looked upon the situation with mixed interest. Lyall realized how this must have looked for him and he let his daughter/son's arm go.

He really didn't know that his daughter had taken his comment as an insult. His frustration was due to the fact that he suddenly realized that this would most likely never work. His daughter was supposed to pretend to be a boy, but she looked too dang feminine, even with her hair cut! Then again, he did know her for all of her life as a girl.

He smiled sadly down at his daughter, wishing so much that he could call her by her true name. "Good luck, Remus, and remember the consequences of your actions."

As soon as he said that, she ran to the train.

Lyall did not notice his daughter's hurt behaviors. He was already too busy thinking of how far his wife had gotten from him.

The people on the platform noticed it, though. They also heard what sounded oddly like a veiled threat in his last goodbye.

* * *

Woot! Who will she meet on the train? IDK! Well... I sort of do, but you don't, and that's the point, isn't it?

Also, I recently posted a new story. Its LOTR, and because I love to fem things, Aragorn is a girl. If that is your cup of tea, check it out. If not, ignore me.


	5. All Aboard The Crazy Train

All Aboard The Crazy Train

* * *

When Remus- because that's who she was now, as her father had to coldly remind her- finally found an empty compartment, she slammed it shut and punched the wall as hard as she could. It hurt a lot, but compared to what she did to herself every full moon it was a slap on the wrist. Much to her annoyance, only the lupine side of her could actually break things, so the compartment wasn't even dented in her fit of rage. Throwing her bags above the seats so hard it nearly toppled back out of the rack again caused her to nearly miss the sound of the compartment opening again.

She shot whoever it was a very nasty look over her shoulder and froze. There, standing in the doorway, was one of the most beautiful girls she had aver seen, with the longest, fire-red hair. A strong urge overcame her, and she pictured herself braiding it. Was that considered odd? could a boy braid a girl's hair? Could a girl braid another girl's hair? What about a boy and a boy? She didn't have any hair any more, but maybe another boy had long hair. She honestly wasn't sure if there was any etiquette behind braiding. She didn't know, because she never had friends before. Being so sickly growing up, her father told her she wasn't allowed to play with the other children.

_Best stick to no hair styling_, Remus thought morosely. She really missed her hair, but then again, she remembered what her father said to her about her possible death should she be discovered.

"Hey, look Sev! Here is a fairly empty compartment." The girl looked at Remus for a moment and smiled, "Do you mind if we share?"

"No, not at all." Romula replied in slight irritation. It was the kind thing to do, but she really just wanted to be alone. She hoped they would understand that when she pulled her cloak around her shoulders and curled in on herself in the far corner of the compartment. That was when she noticed the odd, white-faced boy with inky black hair still standing in the door long after the red-head sat down. He just observed Remus with uncomfortably calculating eyes.

"Oh, just sit down! He's not going to bite," She flipped her head around to look at Remus playfully, "Are you?"

Remus nearly choked on the dark humor- asking a werewolf if it wasn't going to bite? She decided to answer truthfully since she thought it was too hilarious a moment to pass up. "Only on occasion," she laughed a bit, "but have no worries. I'm not quite in the mood at the moment."

The black-haired boy scoffed, but a playful glint lit up in his eyes. "Not in the mood to bite, but punching walls and battering suitcases is a different story." With that, the boy stepped through the compartment threshold and shut the door. "My name is Severus Snape, and this is my friend, Lily Evans."

"R-remus Lupin." Thankfully it sounded like she stuttered, but in reality she nearly gave them the wrong name.

"We know." The black-haired boy said. "We heard your father having it out with you on the platform. After that Lily made it her mission to hunt you down."

'Hunt Down' wasn't the best set of words the other boy could have used, but Remus forced herself not to flinch. After all, he didn't know, and if he did they most likely wouldn't have been talking so civilly with one another.

The redhead slammed her elbow into Severus's side. "That was rude!"

Remus smiled dryly at the two before her. "Thanks for your concern, but it really isn't any of your business." She stated a bit more coldly than she ment. When she saw Lily's face melt into a puddle of sorrow, she sighed. "Don't worry, about it."

With that, Remus turned her face away from the two friends and looked at the landscape as it passed them by. It was really relaxing, before-

Slam!

"Hey, will you looky here!" a cocky voice filled the compartment air. Remus ignored it, shifting more in her seat, trying to ignore the newcomers. Her father told her not to make friends, so that was what she was going to do.

"Look at what we have indeed!" a second, also cheery voice crooned. "I think we have found ourselves a compartment!"

Remus was beyond irked. The people who had just barged in hadn't even asked if they could share. Didn't they know proper etiquette?

She heard the sound of luggage being deposited in the above compartments and frowned. Trying to hide from people was proving difficult. She tugged her cloak tighter around her body in protection and curled in on herself more, hoping to make a smaller target in the compartment. There were two other very lively people in the compartment. If she just pretended to be sleeping, maybe they would just leave her alone.

For the first time in her life, things actually went her way and the others ignored her existence completely.

"Hello there, my name is Lily Evans." Remus heard the girl say.

"My name is James Potter. Are you a first year as well?" One of the mystery voices said in a rather obnoxious fashion. "'Cause we are, and it would be great to meet others!"

"YES!" The girl cried in excitement. "Isn't this whole thing exciting?"

"She grew up in a muggle dwelling, so you will have to excuse her," Severus chipped in when the girl showed a bit more enthusiasm than a normal magic-possessing child that went to school. Perhaps he said this because even Remus, with her very sheltered upbringing, knew the Potter family was a very old line of pure bloods. He was watching out for her. "She is new to everything. My name is Severus Snape."

"Oh, don't worry! I am nearly as giddy as she is!" There was a pause and the sound of someone smacking something. "Introduce yourself. Be polite."

"Sirius Black. Nice to meet you." The voice said irritatedly. "I was going to get around to it, you don't have to be a git."

"So, do you guys know what house you are gonna be in yet? Me and my pal Sirius here are aiming for Gryffindor!"

Severus scoffed.

"What, ghost boy? Think something's funny?" The voice that earlier introduced itself as Sirius growled.

"Yes, actually. The idea that a Black will be anything but a Slytherin is laughable. Why would you want to be in any other house if you could be a slytherin?"

"Oh." James's voice broke out. "Your one of those wannabe dark-wizard types. How disappointing."

"That's mean! It's just a house, and Severus will be a great person no matter where he is!" Lily cried. "Let's go, I think we left our baggage in another compartment anyway." She tutted with an air of condescension. It was almost laughable that a muggleborn was putting two pure bloods in their place.

Sirius wasn't done, though. "Do you really think you can get into that house with a name like Snape? I bet you are a half-blood at best." The voice laughed almost maniacally. "If you think I don't stand a chance getting into Gryffindor, you don't stand a snowball's chance in hell of getting in that purest prison!"

"Shove off, Black." Lily's voice scolded as the sound of the compartment door flinging open ment Remus's ears.

So much drama and they hadn't even made it to school.

The sound of angry feet vacating the compartment filled the air, and just before the door was slammed shut Sirius called out, "Cross your fingers and hope that I make it, Snape! Otherwise there may not be room for you!"

SLAM!

Silence filled the compartment. "Who knew there was somebody out there who wanted to be a member of that house!" James pipped.

Remus found herself drifting into sleep rather quickly now that the fighting was over.

"My parents wanted to be in Slytherin, and their grandparents and so on and so on. Just because they were in it doesn't mean I will be, does it?"

"Sirius, Twins are occasionally placed in separate houses. It has nothing to do with blood. Trust me, you are a Gryffindor if I ever did see one." More silence.

Remus was nearly asleep, now. It was a little over twenty-four hours to the full moon, and the train jostling her around was making her unnaturally queasy. Perhaps sleeping was the best option. She felt like she might be sick if she did anything else.

"Hey, do you think they realized that they left their robes in here?" James piped up.

"What should we do, find them to give their stuff back, or use this amusing little spell I know to change it all... Bright Orange?"

"What do you think, Sirius?"

Remus could just make out the sound of feet scuffling around the compartment floor above the lulling hum of the Hogwarts express. Life was so peaceful.

JAB!

"Oush!" She cried incoherently as she was suddenly jolted from her position by the sharp pain of a wand prodding her backside. "Wasafa!" She mumbled falling into a jumbled mess of limbs in the floor, all of them being her own. What she would have liked to say was_ 'What was that for?'_ but her mind was still too bleary to form coherent sentences.

Two black-haired boys just looked down at her in complete and total shock. "There was a person in those robes!" The bespectacled one called who looked like he stuck his head out of the train's window with how wild his hair was. His hair stuck in nearly every direction. If it weren't so wild, Remus guessed it would have looked a lot like her own in the style and cut, through quite a few shades darker.

The other one, with much longer black hair that fell just over the top of his shoulder blades, snapped out of his amazement first and pointed at her with an air of recognition. "Hey, aren't you the boy whose dad ripped into him back at the station?" Bold, and straight to the point.

"Honestly, how many people saw that?" Remus grumbled, trying to pull herself back onto the seat and wincing when her muscles spasmed painfully at the movement, quickly falling back to the floor. The full moon was going to a painful one, that she could already tell.

"Yeah!" The bespeckled boy cried, though not addressing Remus in the least. "He has to be him! What was the name his dad yelled? Rhombus Loony?"

"REMUS LUPIN!" She growled, finally finding it in her strength to hoist herself back up into a seat if she used both hands.

"No, I think it was Remus Lupin." the other boy shot cheeky, eyeing Remus for a reaction. "If I remember right, the man was screaming bloody murder about how he wasn't boyish enough." They were both talking to each other with mischievous smiles on their faces, but they never once looked away from Remus's forced passive expression.

"I can understand his dilemma. Look at the poor chap. Looks like we have ourselves a bad case of the Pretty-Boy. Sorry, Little Remus was hit hard by it. Nearly looks like a girl, he does!" The one that sounded like James laughed. "If my kid looked like a girl I would be pretty embarrassed too."

Her father told her not to get involved in any trouble, so she kept her mouth shut. In reality she wanted to punch the living daylights out of them, but that would land her in a tight spot. Also, she really wasn't feeling good at all, hence she ignored the jibes and curled back up against the wall again.

"Oy! We aren't done talking to you!" The long-haired one prodded, jumping over and shaking Remus's shoulders before she could get comfortable.

"Correction- you were talking about me, not to me. And you are very rude. It's no wonder Severus and Lily departed." She growled.

"Oh, a pretty boy with an attitude! I like him, Sirius. Lets keep him." James said from the seat across Remus as Sirius adjusted her so she couldn't sleep comfortably any more.

"I am not a pet you can keep! And I don't like your attitude!" Remus fought off Sirius's hands as they continued to jostle her awake long past the point where she knew she wasn't going to sleep again due to a dull ache that became apparent in all of her joints, and then James's as he tried to rest a reassuring hand on her knee.

"Even his knee feels all delicate and womanly!" James joked at the smaller boy as he became more and more agitated.

Remus let out a feral growl. "If you plan to discuss my feminine attributes, say it to my face." She turned to face Sirius, "And I will not hesitate to bite your hand off if you keep prodding me. I am not going back to sleep, happy?"

"I was saying it to your face."James said in mock confusion before pointing to four lightly fading scars slanting across the lower half of her face. "Your very scarred-up face."

Remus looked at the two of them, noticing that she had become their new center of attention now that the other two were gone. "Why don't you just bug each other to death? Stop insulting me however you see possible! I have had a terrible day, I feel like I am going to be sick, this school will probably be the death of me, and now I have two gits who see the need to make my life even worse than-"

"Anything from the trolley, darlings?" A portly witch asked from out of no where.

With that interruption, the two starved pure-blood wizards left Remus alone to retrieve their snacks. Remus, however, saw that distraction as a perfect moment to dash for the door and find a less noisy compartment with fewer pure-bloods. She recognised both last names as very bigtime pure wizarding families, and knew that if she wanted to keep any of her secrets, those two would be her biggest problems.

They grew up in the mix of ministry and Dark Arts. She knew that from the many times she was certain she saw Mr. Potter's name mentioned in the Daily Profit for catching a wizard or witch gone rogue. The Black name was mentioned many times too, but usually when one member of the family was on the receiving end of a Ministry raid, or caught with something highly dangerous in a muggle neighborhood.

If anybody was going to figure her out, it would more than likely be a Pure Blood.

Sighing, she rubbed the tension from her building headache as she stumbled down the train. She suddenly wished she hadn't left without grabbing her baggage. She had a very potent potion buried in her socks that was amazing for when she was knocked off kilter by the moon's pull on her dark magic. It pained her to even consider going back, so she continued to stumble painfully down the corridor in hopes of finding the facilities... She would have to use the boy's one now, wouldn't she?

She shook her head. No, that would be too weird for her. She would rather lose the contents of her stomach publicly rather than privately if that were the case.

Overcome by a sudden bout of nausea, she stumbled into a wall and keeled over trying to catch her breath. Perhaps she should have never gotten up. This new onslaught of pain was so much worse than any of the cruel words that were being thrown at her.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" A sickeningly smooth, almost poisonous voice called. "A little first-year already crumpled to the floor, and I wasn't invited to help get it there? How disappointing."

Remus painfully followed the man's long legs up to his broad chest only to notice a prefect's badge pinned on the dark green sash. It didn't make much sense to her. Why would a person be put in that position if he were threatening students? Then she realized she was his current prey, so she really didn't have the time to question it. Following his long, muscled neck the rest of the way up she met dangerous steely blue eyes framed by long platinum blond locks.

"You're blocking the passage, little freak. Best move before I decide to help you, and let's just say the Malfoy family is not well-known for its generosity." The man said with little to no malice detectable in his voice at all. He didn't need it, though. It shone brightly along with his cruel nature in his eyes and regal posture.

"S-sorry." Remus quickly grovelled while standing up again and immediately feeling the color drain from her face as another jolt of pain shot down her spine when she straightened it. She refused to wince, but the sight of her now pallor complexion obviously gave her away when she saw a flicker of a smile flash across his cold eyes. "I was... a little motion sick. Fine now. Excuse me."

She went to dash past him in hopes of finding Lily, but he moved quickly and her uncoordinated form collided with his frighteningly muscle-bound one. His billowing robes were so covering that she didn't realize how deadly this man could have been till she was dragged up against him by the collar of her robes.

"Well, what a charming little boy you are." The man's eyes gleamed maniacally as he roughly grabbed her chin and forced her to face him. "Such soft and delicate features... I wonder if I have any hexes that could fix that for you?" He chuckled, "Looks like somebody already tried." His thumb grazed one of the four scars, though she was unsure which in her moment of terror. The only thing she knew was that it was not the little one on the bridge of her nose.

She wanted to push away from her attacker, but she was using all of her energy trying to stop herself from throwing up on him. For some odd reason it didn't cross her mind that blowing chunks was the perfect defence mechanism at that moment. She only thought of how disgusting it would be to throw up, which made her feel like she was going to throw up even more.

Just as the prefect holding her in place began to reach for his wand, an obnoxiously familiar voice filled the air.

"Remus! Lil' Remmy! You ran out on us!" She looked helplessly over her shoulder at the approaching figure she knew to be James, and silently wished the man holding her would have been a tad more quick about his spell-crafting. If he wasn't using all of his energies trying to frighten her to death with theatrics maybe she would have already been hexed faceless and dead. That would have been preferable. While she was wishing quite the opposite earlier, the duo's appearance suddenly made her glad she left them.

Sirius followed James, and frowned in annoyance at the older boy. "Lucius? Wow... They must really be in shortage of deserving students in Slytherin if they chose you to be a prefect. How much did you have to bribe Slughorn?"

Letting out an indignant sigh, he shucked Remus in to James, who easily caught her around the stomach, shifting her weight into one arm to ensure she wouldn't topple over. She looked like she was going to collapse in on herself if left to her own devices. It was also unsettling to see how white her skin had become- which was very white to start with- and how labored her breathing was. James touched Remus's face and was instantly shocked with how terrifyingly hot it was.

"He's burning... What the bloody hell did you do to him!" James roared, causing several faces to emerge from their cabins and see what the commotion was about.

Remus inwardly groaned. First her father and her at the platform, now this. She was never going to be able to fly under the radar if this kept happening.

"Oh, calm down, Potter. When I found the poor thing he was already sprawled on the floor looking like he is now." He smiled as a thought struck him. "Infact, I was just considering helping him myself. As a Prefect I would hate to see anything happen to one of my charges," he made a flourishing gesture at the limp Remus hanging from James's arms. "But if you two think you can do any better than a fifth-year, be my guest. I have a meeting to get to anyway, so excuse me."

With one flip of his overly extravagant, long, blond hair, he turned back down the hall. Thankfully, as he left so did the many faces from the surrounding compartments.

"Let's get him back. He looks like he's going to be sick." James grumbled, glaring down the passage at the retreating figure till it disappeared into a side hall.

"He's a liar. All of the Malfoys are. Remus looks like he has been on the nasty receiving end of whatever that prat threw at him."

Remus suddenly felt herself become uncomfortably sandwiched between the two bickering boys. "Dumbledore would never let such a bad person be a prefect, Sirius. You are exaggerating."

"Am I?" He grumbled as he pulled the doors open. "Abrax, his father, played a big part in upstaging our last Minister for Magic! The man brags about it to my parents at get-togethers!"

They plopped Remus's shaking figure into the seat, who instantly curled up. "Do you mean that one guy... Nobby Leach? Wasn't he the first muggle born minister?"

Sirius nodded. "That was the point, according to him. In all honesty, if he really wanted to get rid of someone he should have gone for this current guy- waving his wand around and shooting smoke in everybody's faces. He claims its his way of communicating. He's a bloody loon if you ask me!"

"Remus." James shook her shoulder, and she groaned at the pain he was causing. She just wanted to sit there. Was that too hard to ask?

"What curse did he use, Remus? Or was it a hex?" Sirius's voice called out to her from the darkness. "If he knew it, chances are my family knows it and I can set you straight again. Which one was it."

"None of them." She almost cried as she was forced onto her back so they could get into a better position for casting a spell properly on her. "He was telling the truth, you guys. He found me on the floor, happy?"

She opened her eyes to see the both of them looking even more enraged than they had before. She winced. "Then who did this to you?" James shouted making her stomach lurch. She wasn't use to being yelled at. Just a few minutes ago on the train station was the first time her father had yelled at her sence... everything went south.

"N-nobody! Not everything is a malicious attack." She struggled to sit up right, but Sirius's firm hand pressed on the center of her chest to stop her from coming up all the way. "I... I guess it's just that I have never ridden a train before. I got a little motion sick," she lied. It was much simpler than stating the truth, which was that she was turning into a giant, furry monster the next night.

They eyed her incredulously. "You've never... Where have you been mate? Next you are going to tell me you haven't ridden a broom, or traveled by floo powder!" Sirius laughed, elbowing James in the ribs.

Remus gave them a blank look, but tried to hide the fact that he was, indeed, correct. She had done none of these things before. "That- well- who- of course I have!" She struggled. In her defence, it was really hard to lie about so many things, all while being in so much pain that she honestly wanted to jump out of the moving cart. One would think that she would get use to it- but if you took anybody and assaulted them with a knife rather violently one week a month before tying them down on the seventh day, and pulled all of their teeth and toenails and fingernails out, crushed their digits with a wrench and hit them over every visible place with a sledge-hammer?

... well that was assuming that their teeth and nails could grow back, and in a month's time...

She suspected that amount of pain was enough to make most people go insane, but for some odd reason the thought that her mother had already gone off the deep end was enough to make her fight to stay sane- Even if it meant wishing her own death every time the moon was a bold waxing gibbous.

They obviously did not believe her little fib, because they continued to look at her incredulously. "How could you have never ridden a broom? Are you a muggle born?!" James looked slightly scandalized as he eyed Remus in private wonderment and delight.

At this Sirius jumped in. "Of course not, James, didn't you see the clothes his father was wearing? He was a very important ministry worker. No muggles in there." He eyed Remus and yanked at the robe she was wearing.

"Wait a second, why are you wearing such ruddy, second-hand robes when your father is a ministry official?" His long wiry fingers hooked into Remus's clothes and latched themselves there quickly. An angered scowl suddenly set on his face.

"I never rode a broom because I don't leave the house much!" Remus tried as she struggled with Sirius's clawing fingers lamely, weakened by the pain. "And dad needs good robes because of his job, but my mother is... sick. Most of our money goes to her."

James's face fell and he immediately took several steps back. "What's she come down with? Did you catch it? Is that why you're so-"

Remus just shot the boy an irked look. "It's not something I like to discuss, and I would know if I caught it, I would hope."

"Well-" James began, obviously doubting Remus's story.

"Wake me up when we arrive, please. I would very much like to try to sleep this off," She growled, cutting him off before he could start anything more, turning away from the two dark-haired boys when Sirius finally let go.

"Yeah, sure," Sirius said. Thankfully they let her drift off to sleep, stretched out on her own side of the compartment while they continued to talk among themselves in hushed whispers.

* * *

Well, That's the end of this chappy! I know people usually have Lucius being only a few years older, but I thought What the Heck! There are places I could take this, and according to a bunch of places he is actually suppose to be five or six school years above them. I thought I would go with it.

This chapter is a tad longer than usual, but hey! I have been having fun! And I still don't own Harry Potter.


	6. Don't Rock the Boat

Chapter 4: Don't Rock the Boat

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I don't own these characters. Just thought I should say that. J.K. Rowling does, though. If you haven't read her stuff, you really should :)

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She_ had_ asked her acquaintances to wake her once the train arrived at Hogsmeade station, but the manner in which they deemed it appropriate to rouse her from her slumber was quite unnecessary. She was already fairly queasy, so awaking in the empty compartment with an overbearingly putrid smell did little to sooth her stomach. Remus didn't know whether she was going to pass out or puke.

She guessed they must have deemed themselves natural pranksters because of the dung-bomb they left in the compartment with her. It was one of many she had seen bought in bulk boxes at Zonko's. Of course, she hadn't gone in that shop when she was buying school supplies, but she had heard and smelled many odd things when she passed the door. She guessed that her compartment buddies must have thought her reaction to their new toys would be better than letting her rest.

Sadly for them, they never had the pleasure of seeing an irritated werewolf a day before transformation.

It had nothing to do with her being a wolf that caused her to grow so irate at this time of the month. Her emotions were more human leading up to the full moon, or at least she liked to think so. It was the simple fact that in so many hours she would be a werewolf, and there would be nothing she could do to stop herself that would cause her to lash out at any unfortunate souls who crossed her path at that time. On a normal day she might have laughed the prank off, or even asked one of the two tricksters if she might have one of the gags for herself. Unfortunately, it was not one of her normal days.

Remus was mad. She normally didn't get mad.

Somehow her feet carried her out of the fog, and into the clear smelling air of the train's hall where she gagged and coughed. The only thing she was thankful for was the fact that her trunk was beside the compartment door, which she slammed shut as soon as she escaped. The smell, however, still seemed to leak through the compartment door- or was it stuck to her clothes? Remus quickly sniffed the sleeve of her robe, gagging once again in the process.

Perhaps it was a little bit of both, she hoped, meandering down the empty halls, take deep calming breaths as she went. Thankfully, most of the students had already departed. If they hadn't everybody would be gaping at her thanks to... whatever that was that they did to the compartment.

She should have opened a window.

She sighed as soon as she stepped off the train, thankful that it was raining for once, hoping it would wash off the stench or at least hide it until she could get a proper shower.

Remus was quickly interrupted from her thoughts, however, when something nearly tackled her to the ground with an excited yelp.

"Remus!" Instantly, she recognised the overly excited voice as Sirius, so she hastened to turn around and look at the two boys whom she knew would be grinning at her like maniacs.

"Yes?" She sighed, giving into the irritating tugging on her coat to turn around and face him. Obviously, James was standing right beside him, but he quickly moved forward to sandwich her against Sirius, resting his arm on her shoulder and taking a deep breath through his nose.

"You smell just terrible," James chuckled, jostling up against her in a friendly way that she had only seen neighborhood children do to each other.

She however, had never known such playful affections since her brother died. "Are you both idiots?" Her face was absolutely furious, and the evening light mixed with her scars and brown eyes so that they seemed to glow in the shadow of her long bangs.

"Chill out, dude," Sirius laughed awkwardly. "It was just a dung bomb." Sirius looked over the top of Remus's head to talk to James better. "Obviously this pretty little bloke doesn't trust us."

James let out a wide-mouthed laugh, throwing his head back as he did so, as well as jostling Remus, who was still uncomfortably attached to his side. "I'm sure he'll grow to like us." Before she knew what was happening she was grabbed by the jaw. "Just look at that face! I don't think I'll be able to bear it if he hates us."

"S-stop it!" Remus shoved the two pushy and rather overbearing young wizards away from converging in on her anymore. All of those years of being a recluse, hiding away in an empty house, did nothing to prepare her for two very physical and excitable people.

"Oh, sweet-heart, don't be like that," Sirius coed, using her moment of anger to swoop down next to her ear and mock her.

She simply glowered at him, refusing to back away. "My name is Remus Lupin, so you may refer to me as Remus, Mr. Lupin, Lupin, you- or even he, him, dude, guy, or bloke. Never call me 'sweet-heart,' or, 'pretty-boy,' or any other cruel nickname you two can come up with! I am a BOY, for goodness sake!"

Romula hated lying, but she justified it with the fact that while Romula wasn't a liar, maybe Remus was. Maybe he would have been if he lived. Plus it was pretty insulting being talked down to. She suspected that would have been how everybody would have talked to her if they knew what- who she really was. Obviously, the two pompous young wizards just acted like that to a lot of people if how they treated Lily and Severus was to go by anything. She suspected it had a little to do with their pure-blood family lines, and possible pampering. Remus suspected that the Potters and the Blacks let their children run amuck with how much money and pull they had in society. If either found out her secret she shivered to know how they would really treat her.

Sirius and James looked thoroughly scolded as they looked down at their scuffless shoes. "We're sorry." James said.

Remus huffed and spun on her heels, trying to put distance between herself and the obnoxious two boys as quickly as possible. Sadly, they didn't catch on to her irritation as well as she hoped. They quickly trailed behind her, muttering compliments the entire way, such as how handsome she was, and what a cool guy she was. It was almost as humiliating as when they called her more feminine things, but she decided to simply ignore them while she cooled off.

In truth, they were groveling so much because while they both saw how soft Remus's features were when they met the bloke, but neither Sirius nor James took note of exactly how threateningly sharp they could be until he exploded at them. It was then that they actually thought long and hard about how such a little boy could get such gashes on his face that they would scar like that. It was then that they wondered if they truly wanted to know.

This was one of those kids that they really didn't want to get on the bad side of, and they already lit a dung bomb in his compartment.

While Remus darted towards a mountain of a man guarding several boats Sirius quickly turned towards James, stopping him from continuing towards the crowd. "You don't expect that he was friends with that git who was in the compartment before?"

James furrowed his brow in thought. "That Slytherin wanna-be? Snape? They _were_ in the same compartment, weren't they?" He realized, eyes widening in thought.

Both of them looked over to the small boy who was listening to the giant explain how to ride in the boat without accident. It was a long and boring lecture, and they stopped listening rather quickly to just look at the entity that was Remus.

Sirius suddenly felt another horrible thought strike him. "James, what if Lucius was telling the truth about helping him?"

James blinked, then gulped at the horrifying realization. "You mean, Remus knows him?"

Sirius shrugged, "Well, why not? He could have been. Maybe they know each other and were having a little chat about how intense the sorting process is."

As if he felt their look, Remus shot a glance back over his shoulder. What might have meant to serve as a cursory look was quickly interpreted as something much more-

"Slytherin!" James nearly yelled before slapping his hand over his mouth.

Sirius only nodded solemnly. "He sure is." He ruffled his hair in irritation. "I should have seen it right off! What are we going to do about Remus?"

James frowned at the boy named Remus, who had turned around again and gone back to listening to the giant man. "Let's just watch him for now. We can find out what he is for certain at the feast."

Sirius simply nodded.

Romula stood broadly by the large man as he droned on about the boats._ 'No rocking, no jumping out of the boat, and no shoving. The boats are charmed, so there will be no need for paddles. There is room for four to a-'_

And just about when the Giant man, Hagrid, reached this point in his speech last time a chubby blonde boy ran into the crowd and asked for him to repeat it all over again.

It was then that she noticed the two obnoxious boys' missing presence and turned to see that they were both talking amongst each other.

She was slightly ashamed to admit that being a hermit made her catch on to little things, like reading the lips of passing people on the street. It kept her entertained while her father was away, and taught her some valuable life lessons... such as that Tom, the electrician from down the block, was a "dirty, cheating, two-timing(Something that caused Romula to blush)."

It also came in handy when she was spying on some nosey, obnoxious twits, whom she noticed saying her name in conversation. Albeit a private conversation, but that never stopped her before. And they said something about Slytherin? She couldn't tell much, their faces were angled too far to the shadows.

Shaking her head in annoyance she turned back to the giant man just in time to realize that she was the only person left on the dock- with an exception of the pudgy little blonde haired, blue-eyed boy who had interrupted the speech earlier. She was so preoccupied in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed him slowly settling closer to her until it was too late.

There were no other people to boat with either, so ignoring him was out of the question. The only thing she could do was grin and deal with the consequences.

"Hi, I'm Remus Lupin," she did her best to slightly deepen her voice while still appearing natural, and not overly masculine for an eleven year old. In reality it didn't sound half bad. "I guess we will be sharing a boat-?"

"Peter Pettigrew!" The other boy quickly thrust out his plump palm in greeting. "I'm sorry for bothering you but I couldn't help but notice-"

Remus physically readied herself for the words she knew were going to come, squaring her shoulders as she walked towards the boat. She didn't even bother shaking Peter's hand.

"You look pretty tough!" He hollered at her retreating back.

She froze. "What?" She turned around, looking at the chubby little boy as though he had gone mad. Perhaps some water got in her ear from the rain. She made a quick show of cleaning it out.

"I said you look pretty tough!" Peter repeated over the rain, which slowly began picking up into a downpour. "Those scars, how did you get them? In a duel, or a mugle brawl? Either way, its pretty neat."

Romula just looked at him in shock for a moment before erupting into the least masculine sounding laughter that she could have made. Thankfully it was distorted by wind and rain, and covered by thunder.

This boy was the first kid she met all day who didn't mention the platform incident with her father. Either he was as thick as he looked, which was quite thick, or he was simply feigning ignorance. It seemed like a harmless conversation that two boys might have, though in all honesty she had no clue where her facial scars came from. She noticed their appearance the moment she woke up a month after that beast attacked her... but she only remembered it biting her stomach.

Of course, that scar was there too, come to think of it.

She just smiled at the blonde boy when she calmed down from her laughing fit. "Why do you want to know?"

It saddened her, slightly, to see his face fall when she asked that question. "Well, you see there were some guys bugging me on the train, but if I had somebody tough on my side like you, I might-"

"Remus!"

She balled her hands into fists when she heard that voice interrupt Peter. "Sirius, I was just in the middle of a conversation."

James tisked at her dilemma. "Well, we were too, weren't we, Sirius? We were talking about how we needed to have four people in a boat, and two and two make four."

Remus eyed him contemptuously. "Isn't math mind-blowing?"

Sirius nodded jovially. "Do you know what else I've heard is mind-blowing?"

James feigned ignorance with wide-eyed wonder, "A Dragon?"

"Why, yes, I suppose they could be, but I was thinking more along the lines of the feast that would be waiting for us once we all get into our appropriate houses and out of this rain."

At that, both of the darker haired boys eyed Remus suspiciously before moving into the back of the boat.

She really didn't get it. They dung bomb her compartment and were mad at her? Oh well. Her father told her not to make friends anyway, and they were definitely getting too clingy. And they were pure bloods- another thing her father warned her against. They would find her out the fastest, according to him.

She climbed into the boat after them, patting the seat at the front for Peter, which in hindsight may not have been the brightest move. He was the biggest of all of them.

If only she had seen the mischievous glances that James and Sirius shot each other from their stable seats at the back as the boat sunk a little more than it should have towards the front. Maybe if she had seen them then she would have known what to expect once out on open waters.

"Now remember ev'r one!" The giant announced from his own boat near the front of the cluster. "The waves are goin'ta be harsh in the storm. Whatever you do: Don't rock the boats."

* * *

Yeah, I know Sirius and James do come across as a tad mean, but you would be pompous too if you came into school thinking you were the best thing since the wand. That's how I always pictured them. At least, that's how I pictured them being before Azkaban and death. They will come down from their high, but it will take them a little bit of danger, love, and discipline to realize the world is not their throne.

Hope you enjoyed!


	7. Of House and Home

Chapter 5: Of House and Home

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**I don't own anything 'cept the clothes on my back! Enjoy!**

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"Lupin, Remus."

The voice of Professor McGonagall rang through the halls as most of the children continued to chatter among themselves, not even bothering to pull themselves away from the pleasant conversation presenting itself in the warmth of the dining area. The only people who were not distracted by friends were the first-years, who either sat nervously at their new house tables or were still waiting in line, shivering in their rain drenched cloaks.

Remus, oddly enough, did not respond to the deputy headmistress right away, nearly causing the older woman to repeat herself. James suspected Remus's little dip into the Great Lake earlier affected his hearing, which wasn't entirely the sickly looking, tawny haired kids fault. Sirius and James did have a hand in rocking the boat at the time. The fact Remus fell overboard was entirely the scrawny kids own doing in James's opinion, seeing as how their main target was the pudgy little boy also seated in the front of the boat. Some how, Remus managed to drag the butterball away from the edge before falling headfirst into the murky blue depths without anybody else's help. It was nearly comedic to the two miscreants seated in the boat, watching.

Sirius and James both had to admit, the scrawny kid's flailing and kicking was almost better than the chubby kid's would have been... except for the minor problem that he couldn't swim at all. He sank beneath the turbulent waves almost instantly, despite the giant man's shouts for him to continue kicking while he drew closer.

Who went to a lakeside castle and didn't know how to swim? It was preposterous! Then again, he didn't know how to fly either.

Remus, however was now quite alive thanks to the friendly nature of the lake's resident Giant Squid, who left sucker marks all over his face and neck during the rescue. They clashed with the scars rather spectacularly. Despite the aforementioned shabby appearance, Remus was still able to stand in the crowd of first years and act like nothing was the matter. The gaunt 'boy' was even able to block out several giggling teens surveying the 'squid hickies,' and wet and bedraggled state. It was a wonder the poor thing was able to put up with the sorting at all. Most eleven year olds would have run crying in embarrassment.

Once Remus's name was called, however, there was only a moment's hesitation before the light brown-haired youth took a step towards the hat. Determination showed in the depths of Remus's eyes, which were just a shade darker than the caramel locks that framed the soft round features. In that moment James knew Remus was going to be a Gryffindor, which irked him slightly. He couldn't wait for his go at the hat to prove that he could be a better Gryffindor than both Black and Lupin combined. He was brave, and he didn't need some silly old hat to tell him so!

Black had joined the Gryffindor table earlier in the sorting, and thankfully for him his family was too stunned to shoot any rude comments or hexes his way as he found a seat at the opposing table. The seats nearby were quickly vacated to make more room for him, which was all for the best in his mind. James was going to join him soon anyway.

Sirius didn't notice the same things that James did as he observed from his odd spot at the Gryffindor table. People were looking at him like he was mad for being placed in their house. He almost laughed at the expressions at first. _So they think I am mad? Well, I suppose they are right. I am a Black_. However, as soon as Remus's name was called he looked up, a jeering smile already flitting across his sharp yet boyish features when he expected to see his victim from earlier quaking in his boots.

Preferably, the boy would begin bawling, the filthy Slytherin. Yes, he was being overly cruel today, but he wanted somebody else to feel his humiliation. He knew the looks his cousins were shooting him were not congratulatory. The fight he had with the Snape kid did little to sooth the annoyance with his ongoing predicament. It only served to irk him more when he realized that the kid he knocked into the lake just minutes before was approaching the stool calmly, each step resounding through the hall with a juicy "Slap! SQUELTCH!" as his wet robes hit the back of his legs repeatedly and the rubber souls of his too large shoes squeaked against the marble floor.

He must have been hard of hearing! The whispers, thankfully were no longer about the Sirius being placed in Gryffindor, but they were mocking the graceful teen who glided up to the stool with almost comedic sound effects accompanying him.

Sirius watched that obnoxious little twit with all the hate he could muster... until he noticed something very odd about the way this 'Remus Lupin' held himself. He walked with a slight limp, that was sure, but he attributed that to the squid holding him too hard before it chucked him back into their boat. Beyond that, there was an odd sort of swagger he hadn't seen or noticed before. It almost made him laugh when he looked at the boy's serious face as he scrunched up his petite brow in concentration while the hat whispered to his conscience. Even his brow seemed soft in the moment, and when his plushy, cupid-bow lips contorted into a delicate pout his face looked resolutely crestfallen as his dainty shoulders fell. It was quite a girlish display of emotions that it almost made Sirius laugh. What a sissy!

_What a brilliant young mind! much like your father's, I see._

The hat crooned to a rather startled Lupin. She had no clue the process was going to be so painless after observing how long many of the people sat on the stool, and how distraught their faces became before the hat made its decision. Other times it was rather quick without even a moment on the host's head before their house was called.

_Ah, but you have lost your brother in such a tragic way!_ The hat paused, _Even though the memories of the incident are hidden from your mind I can still access them. There is nothing one can hide from this old hat. Fear not, though, I will not tell a soul of what you are._

Remus honestly didn't care if the hat told anybody. Who would believe an old, patched up hat? She kept the comment to herself, but she knew it heard her judging by the chuckling sound it made in her ear.

_You may be smart, but in a house filled with like minds a monthly disappearance would hardly go un-noticed. _She frowned at the objects rather intimate knowledge of her werewolfism, shrinking in her seat in shame. _No, but you are brave! Yes, I see you saving that young boy from the waves while risking yourself. It is very brave for you to be sitting in a stool in front of so many wizards considering what you are. Yes. I say-_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The effeminate looking little Lupin didn't even bother dealing with the hat again, Sirius noted. He just yanked it off, tossing it to the side in frustration while making way to a seat at the table with quick strides.

Sirius quickly decided that, even though he suspected the other tricked the hat, it would be nice to have _someone _to converse with until James could join him. Remus had to have cheated in his mind. After all, it took Sirius a little while longer of convincing before the hat agreed to take him into Gryffindor.

Remus, however, obviously did not like the fact he was housed in Gryffindor, which irked Sirius to no end.

An adorable pout passed slightly blue lips when Remus's toffee-hue eyes landed on the insanely grinning Black. They were blue because the poor thing had yet to warm up from the near hypothermia. "Hello, again." The soft voice hissed. "I rather hoped I wouldn't be seeing you so soon." She had aspired to make her father proud for once by joining his old house, Ravenclaw.

Sirius just nodded in response, "Had hopes of joining Slytherin, did you?" He guessed.

Remus, however just scoffed at the table partner. "I simply had hopes of never having to deal with the person who dumped me into the lake." She grumbled under her breath. She had rather hoped the other boy hadn't heard her irritation, because she was growing tired of conversing with him. She was honestly growing tired of people in general. Her father raised her to be an introvert, and the moon hanging above their heads through the enchanted ceiling was just one shift away from making her a big, hairy monster.

She really didn't want other people around while she dealt with that level of stress and anxiety.

"H-hey guys!" Remus looked up at the voice to see Peter, the boy from the docks, standing behind them looking apprehensive. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Sirius scoffed. "The Hufflepuff table is that way."

Peter shifted uncomfortably, "Um, actually I was put in Gryffindor." He waved at Sirius uncomfortably. "Hi. Peter Pettigrew."

Sirius's mouth simply hung open for a moment while Remus motioned for Peter to sit on the far side of her and out of Sirius's reach.

"That is impossible!" He croaked. "It's a joke, right? Tell me that hat was taking the piss! He can't be a Gryffindor!"

The boy next to Remus suddenly deflated from his happiness, looking rather sullen. "Why not?" She snapped, turning to face Sirius completely in her ire. This boy seemed nice enough and he didn't need somebody picking on him.

"Have you looked at him?" He squawked. "If he would have fallen into the lake instead of you, I doubt he would have had enough bravery to even stand up there, much less be sorted Gryffindor!"

"And If I would have drowned you would have either been sent home or have been placed in Slytherin, so stop living in your imaginary world and be happy that things played out the way they did!"

Remus huffed, trying to hush the other boy by returning her attention to the sorting. Unfortunately for Remus, she pulled her eyes away from her tormentor just at the right time to witness the other demon waltzing over to join them at the Gryffindor table. The sorting hat hadn't even hesitated when it fell on his brow before bellowing out the boy's house of choice.

Life just wasn't fair.

James quickly shoved his way between Peter and Remus, ignoring Peter's hurt look so he could congratulate the other two on his right. "Sirius! Remus! Fancy seeing you two chums again so soon. I thought for sure at least one of you would make Slytherin!"

Remus assumed he was talking about Sirius _Black,_ so she ignored his comment while attempting to look past the other boy's broad shoulders to see the placement of the remaining few students. "Yes, isn't it grand?" she mumbled.

James nodded, leaning more into the aisle when he noticed what the smaller boy was trying to do, blocking Remus's line of vision even more than before. It was rather obnoxious that he seemed to think he could ignore them, but it was a blessing in a small way. The kid smelled like sushi and lake muck. He tapped his chin, trying to think of a way that he could make amends. Just enough so his fellow housemate wouldn't hate him, even though he still thought Remus made a rather convincing looking Slytherin.

"Sorry you fell in the lake. That was pretty terrifying, wasn't it?" He asked Remus, resting the tip of his chin on steepled fingers as he leaned closer to the table when she attempted to see around him from the other direction. She finally sighed and gave up, glowering directly into his hazel eyes. The intensity Remus glared at him with nearly made James wonder if his glasses would melt with only a look.

"Yeah, I didn't know you would go over board like that," Sirius piped up from behind her, but she refused to turn around.

"Are you sorry I was the one who fell, or are you sorry you rocked the boat in the first place?"

"Same thing, isn't it?" Peter squeaked rather dumbly from behind James, obviously trying to insert himself into the conversation with little success.

Sirius pounced on what the other boy had blathered instantly. "Yeah, what Pete said!"

She groaned, quickly growing tired of this conversation. Obviously the boy she rescued wouldn't be much help if she wanted to stay mad at the other two. "No it isn't." She looked away from James, just wishing everyone would stop bothering her. Since when were people so obnoxious? She had never dealt with such quirky people before, but then again her list of social interactions were very limited to begin with. On top of that, her jaw was beginning to ache and her tailbone was numb from sitting for so long.

She had yet to talk to the Headmaster about her new full moon hideaway for the coming night.

"Awe! You are going to be a sour-puss about it, aren't you?" James whined, shuffling through his robes. "How about I make a peace-offering." He held out a small, brightly colored box.

Remus eyed it wearily, uncertain if it was another prank. "I don't accept bribes, thank you."

"Not even a chocolate frog?" James rattled the box tantalizingly under her nose.

She hesitated. She did love chocolate, but they never ate it in her household. If there was money to spend at home it generally went towards the next home or medication for her mother. The idea of eating something she only experienced when she was four was tempting, but if it was frog flavored no thanks. "... What is that?"

"Your father never even bought you a chocolate frog?" He asked in an over enthusiastic gasp. It was obvious that James was excited he had the chance to explain. Talking seemed to be what he did best. "They sold them on the train. You eat it, see?"

In an overly embellished flourish he popped the lid off of the small box and readily caught the small, brown frog as it frantically leaped away from his greedy hands. Much to Remus's horror, the small frog only stopped its desperate attempts at escape when James bit its head off. "See?" James said through a full mouth, spraying bits of chocolate all over her front in the process. "It's just a spell on a bit of sweets." He rummaged through his pockets once more and pulled out another, motioning for her to take it.

"N-n-no. I am very good without it, thank you." She mumbled, fighting back bile. The thought of consuming the small, innocent creature reminded her far too much of the night to come. She honestly didn't care if it was only a spell, it looked and acted disturbingly too much like a real thing in her mind. The thought of consuming something so frightened, struggling for its existence... like a monster, not even hesitating.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images of devouring some helpless person. It had been a reoccurring nightmare since her creation.

"Why don't you want a Chocolate Frog?" Sirius asked, snatching up the other candy before James could jerk his offering away. "Afraid the little froggy is gonna bite?"

"I don't like chocolate." She quickly lied, diverting her gaze while Sirius crunched the head of his chocolate frog with a rather violent snap of his teeth.

"Why?" Peter asked, just out of Remus's line of vision seeing as how James was blocking him from their conversation. It was obvious that he wanted to be included, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"How could any sane child not like chocolate?" James asked with a slight frown.

"He must not be sane." Sirius responded with a shrug of his shoulders, which was a laugh considering whose mouth it came from. There hadn't been a black born in centuries that held even a modicum of sanity in their body.

Remus turned to scowl at him. She hated it when people questioned her sanity, so she pulled the first facts about chocolate she could remember from the depths of her mind. "I read a lot of books."

"I knew it!" Sirius exclaimed, earning a look of irritation from several other people at the table who were trying to pay attention to the proceedings at the front of the hall. She could faintly make out Dumbledore's voice, so she suspected everyone was sorted by then. Annoyingly enough, her table-mates were not letting her hear his announcement's for the start of the year.

"There is an approved rate for consumption of 60 insect parts per 100 grams of chocolate." She recited as though she read it straight from an encyclopedia.

"So?"

"Calculate how many grams that is," waved her forefinger in the air as though she were working through the math in the air before them. "Work out a probability formula..." She continued to bobble her head and wave her hand theatrically before going back to normal by dropping her hands back to her lap with a faint smile. She turned to face Sirius. "Chances are you just ate some bug. Isn't that lovely?" She decided not to point out that she thought it smelled like a rather delicious bug from where she was sitting.

James snorted behind her, "You obviously haven't had a cockroach cluster."

Sirius waved her off as well. "I have been to other countries, and they eat insects all the time! It hasn't killed anybody so far." He popped the remaining, limp piece of chocolate frog into his mouth with a smirk. "Tasty!"

She blushed furiously in embarrassment and irritation that she hadn't looked away fast enough. The image of the two limp legs passing his lips seemed to go on instant replay in her mind, much to her irritation. "Well, I don't like consuming other creatures, whether I am unaware or not. Its sickening. Try and be more aware of what you are sticking down your gullet." She snapped.

"I am aware that it is delicious, is that okay?" Sirius grinned at her burning features, knowing that their nonchalance on the subject would only aggravate her more.

They were all drawn from their discussion, however, by the presence of food suddenly materializing on the table before them. The fact that the face of a stuck pig presented itself first nearly made her throw up and scream all at once. The sight of one of the older children across from her tearing into it like an animal, once again reminded her of the night to come. In a panic she jumped from her seat at the table, tripping on the bench when her foot hooked it. She did finally let out a garbled yelp when two firm, elder hands caught her from her in her downward decent. The others at the table laughed at her reaction to the pig until they turned and saw who she fell into.

"Remus," Dumbledore greeted, setting her back on her feet. Letting out a slight chuckle at her wet, disheveled state he waved his hand. She shivered when she felt a warmth soak into her bones and drying her clothes with a slight breeze that nobody but she seemed to experience. "I was just looking for you, my child. Hagrid informed me you fell into the lake." He swiftly clamped his hand on her slim shoulder to steer her away from the tables. "I thought it best if I took you straight to Madam Pomfrey so we could have you checked and discuss the events surrounding tomorrow night. Hopefully, you will feel right at home and we can get you settled in."

She looked over her shoulder hesitantly to make sure nobody heard what he said in a sudden bout of paranoia, but everyone was eating and conversing merrily. No one seemed to give their departure a second glance from what she could tell. She could even make out James, Sirius, and Peter animatedly telling a story to an older boy. From the way Sirius flailed his arms, she suspected it involved her plunge to the depths of the lake.

She frowned as she felt Professor Dumbledore's gentle tug on her arm when she hesitated at the door to observe the room's numerous occupants one last time. Nobody would notice her absence the following night at dinner. She was almost positive of that.


	8. Taken Under Wing

Chapter 6: Taken Under Wing

* * *

Remus didn't know what to expect as they made their way to the hospital wing on the first floor. She wasn't even quite sure if she would be able to find her way back to the main hall after meeting the school's nurse. In fact, the healer was partially why she was so on edge. Remus suspected that the matron would be an older woman, probably around middle-aged. For most people she might even come across as motherly from what she suspected, but considering how Remus's mother was... Well, it was unnerving dealing with another older the female when her own mother had been the only woman in her life up till now. The added fact that she also knew what she was and Remus was placed under her personal care was alarming.

"Umm... Dumbledore, Sir?" She voiced when they finally reached the first floor landing and began their way toward the wing.

"Yes, dear?" Dumbledore replied, looking down at her from over his half-moon spectacles with a sad smile. "I am sure you have many questions, young Lupin, and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability." He gave her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder as they continued down the empty halls. Not even a ghost roamed the castle while the first feast of the year was underway.

"How is this going to work? How am I just going to disappear every week without the teachers or my classmates getting suspicious?"

Dumbledore smiled down at the nervous girl. "Poppy will help us there. She still has connections with some of her old friends at St. Mungo's, so she has access to excuse slips for your teachers. You will use the excuse of visiting your mother in the hospital at St. Mungo's. It is believable seeing as how she tends to be at the hospital, so should anyone check their facts they will find she was there or visiting home. In reality you will be reviving in the back room of the hospital for a few days."

Remus nodded her head uncomfortably when they finally reached the double doors of the hospital wing. "Is this 'Poppy' lady nice?"

Dumbledore broke out into a light, jovial laugh. "Of course, my child. She is one of the kindest people I know, though she tends to run a tight ship." And with that he pushed the doors wide open, leading her inside.

"_Where _have you been Albus!" The woman shrieked as soon as they stepped inside, causing Remus to jump in alarm and take several steps back. "I hear the ghosts whispering about how a student fell into the lake and _you_ decide that it is more important to make the poor dear sit through the entire ceremony- _freezing to death_- before sending them up to me! How am I suppose to do my job if you kill all of the students first?" She obviously had no problems with going toe-to-toe with the old wizard, and he seemed unphased by her fury. She shook a reprimanding finger at the old man, who simply smiled back bashfully like child who had heard the same lecture several times before. He only added to the image when he pulled out a muggle candy, unwrapped it, and popped the powder covered substance between his whisker covered lips.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head at the man in annoyance and began wiping her hands on her apron to repress her urge to strangle him. That urge must have only increased when he wrinkled the wrappings louder than he needed to before dropping it into his pocket. "Well," She said, "where is the child? I am probably going to end up keeping the poor thing over night to make sure you didn't let the first-year turn into a popsicle!" She looked at Dumbledore expectantly. "Don't tell me that I have to go down to the hall and search!"

The headmaster looked down at where he had last seen his student and was not surprised to see that she was no longer standing there. "I do believe that you frightened the poor dear with all of your yelling, Poppy. She seemed to be a bit frightened about meeting you... seeing as how I told you about her already."

The matron let out a harsh gasp and pushed past the old man to see the small, broken girl standing firmly in the hall with a forced passive expression on her young, yet far too knowledgeable features. "Romula!"

"Don't call me that!" She tried to snap, but was quickly grabbed and forced into one of the many open beds. She had heard her mother yell many times when she went into one of her fits, and it was always a frightening display no matter what she was yelling at or for. It helped a bit when Romula noticed that this woman seemed to be rather stable, and that Dumbledore wasn't bothered by the fact that he was the cause of her anger.

"Do you know for how long I have been pacing up here, Albus?" The woman flicked her wand, making a warm cloth smack the dazed student across the face. "I have been worried sick that the student might have gotten pulled down into the lake by something and drowned!" The woman crowed, her attention swiveling back to the headmaster.

Romula quickly opened her mouth to defend the older man, but found that it was quickly filled with an uncorked bottle of potion while her head was forced backwards into a swallow. She let out a gurgling yelp, but the adults didn't seem to hear it.

"And of _all_ of the students you could have let go without treatment, Romula Lupin!" The matron said in a shrill voice. "She already has enough problems as it is, the poor girl. She doesn't need to add to it by getting a simple _cold_!"

Romula attempted to jump into the argument again when the empty bottle was removed from her mouth, but the nurse began shoving vial after vial of potions into her gaping mouth in quick succession, giving her little time at all for breath between each.

"Poppy, I know she has had a hard life, but I didn't even know she fell until Hagrid told me mid-ceremony. For now, I think we should tell her where she is to go come tomorrow night, then let her rest. Is that agreeable to you, my dear?" He tried to sweeten his voice at the end, but the nurse was obviously having none of his antics.

Madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand and shook it at the man. "I should really have you thrown out, you doddering old fool! You could have killed her this close to the moon!" She turned and waved her wand at the bed, and the small girl was quite delighted to find herself tucked under the warm blankets she was previously sprawled on top of.

By then Romula was so turned around that the only thing she could voice was a nervous, trembling, "Please stop calling me Romula."

Both witch and wizard looked down at her in confusion at what she had just said. Surely the young child was just having a small bout of confusion. Most likely it was the beginnings of a fever, which the nurse would never let the headmaster live down. When Poppy leaned over to check the small child's temperature, however, she shook her head in a negative, looking back to Dubledore for some form of direction on how to handle her new patient.

Albus frowned. "What do you mean, you do not want to be called Romula? That is your name." He knew this transition would be hard on the girl. While others were not allowed to know of her true identity, he thought she would be happy to have _someone_ call her by her given name. It disturbed him to see the small girl dislike herself for what she truly was.

She shifted uncomfortably in her cot under the gaze of her two elders. She really didn't want them knowing about the fight she had with her father on the platform, too. Enough people had witnessed that embarrassing experience. It was to her understanding that her father wished Remus had survived. That was painful enough to admit to herself, but to admit it to other people?

It hurt, but not nearly as much as hearing her real name now that she thought he detested her existence.

"Well, what if somebody overheard one of you two saying it? Or- or if you slip up in public, or I don't respond to one of you in front of somebody because I am so use to you calling me-"

Albus raised his hand, suggesting silence. "Alright, _Remus,_ if that is your wish." He smiled kindly at her, but part of her suspected he knew she was lying. She was thankful that he didn't pry into the matter.

Madam Pomfrey scoffed. "I will address you by your given name, _Ms. __Romula Lupin_. I have always been spectacular with patient confidentiality, and if all goes well we will only need to see each other once every month."

The girl had no clue where Madam Pomfrey pulled the jar of salve from, but suddenly she found herself being threatened by it as the witch shook the open container in her shocked face. "And it's a good thing, too! I can already tell you are a patient that is going to try _my_ patience." She let out a surprised yelp when the witche's cold, clammy hands began rubbing down the sucker marks on her neck and face with little to no warning. "Try and sit still, _Romula." _She said, stressing her name in retaliation to Dumbledore's compliance on the issue.

In her mind it was horrible that the girl was forced to attended school through such fraudulent means in the first place. Madam Pomfrey was glad she could help in any way with Romula's schooling after seeing so many people go through the wards at St. Mungo's only to end up behind bars at Azkaban. She was determined not to let that happen to this little one, especially after seeing the child being brought to the ward covered in blood.

Dumbledore smiled. "I told you she was kind, Remus." He set himself down on the end of her bed, his eyes bright with mischief, "Poppy would not even bother to warn most people before she stunned them and finished administering the doses."

Pomfrey gasped and made a swipe at Dumbledore. "Don't say such things, Albus! The poor dear is frightened enough without you lying to her." She scooped more salve and administered it on a much more compliant Romula. "Don't listen to him, Romula. He is just sour because I had to stun him once when he refused to take a rather nasty smelling potion for opening a box marked '_Cursed- Do not open!'"_

"In my defense, I thought I lifted the curse." Dumbledore grumbled glumly before clapping his hands together twice. "Speaking of curses, nothing like the present to discuss how we plan to deal with yours!"

Remus nodded slowly, not quite understanding the dynamics between the two. Dumbledore was very powerful, so he must have trusted Madam Pomfrey quite a bit if he let her boss him around so much. She seemed to be a dominant personality, which probably came in handy seeing as how she was the only nurse that seemed to be on duty. Remus looked left and right and saw quite a few hospital beds. Remus hated to consider how the nurse dealt with the place come flu season. One bed filled must have been stressful enough.

Just then, before anything more could be said about her monthly transformation, the door to the wing burst open with a rather irate looking Professor McGonagall dragging a cowering dark-haired boy behind her, yanking his arm gruffly when he lagged. Who the boy was remained a mystery purely because the boy was covering his face with the hand McGonagall hadn't commandeered. Shortly after the headmistress followed a squat man, who Romula suspected to be wider than he was tall. She recognized him as being one of the teachers seated at the front table, but seeing as how James was distracting her during the announcements she had no clue of his name or title. He was levitating an unconscious student through the door behind him looking rather aggrieved, though whether it was because his student was hurt, or the thought of dealing with his student's parent was uncertain.

The last person to walk into the room, head held high, shoulders back, eyes as sharp and cold as a blade, was none other than Lucius Malfoy. He was also levitating the body of a student lazily behind him. Romula sunk back into her sheets to avoid being seen by him while Madam Pomfrey scuttled to the far side of the room to make other beds more habitable for her surprise patients.

Dumbledore leaned closer to Romula's ear before whispering, "I am very sorry, Remus, but it seems tomorrow will be run more by trial and error." He ruffled her short hair before turning to join the others on the opposing side of the room. "Do try to get some sleep, and don't let this matter keep you up."

Of course, curiosity got the better of the young werewolf, because she found that she could not get to sleep while there was so much action going on in the same room as her. So she stayed awake and listened, trying to remain as motionless as possible. The room was already dark ening seeing as how the windows were the main sources of light. Candles did light the room in a dim way, but the ones near Remus were snuffed by a wave from her Headmaster's wand.

"Albus, come quickly! Never in all my years of teaching have I seen a first year hex_ and_ jinx two other students on the first day of the term!" McGonigall said in a cutting tone. It was evident that she had been carrying on to all who were conscious in their little group how displeased she was at whoever threw the first spell. "Why, Sir, if I were this boys head of house I would be sending him back home without even giving him the chance to unpack his bags for the first-"

"Professor McGonagall, If I may?" Lucius's smooth as glass voice quickly interrupted her panicked one, silencing her. "I do believe you have forgotten that you are not the Slytherin's head of house, my dear lady. We are not under your jurisdiction, this is Professor Slughorn's matter and mine, seeing as how I am a prefect."

"What?" The fat, balding man said, jumping a bit at being put on the spot so suddenly. "Oh! Yes, thank you, dear boy! Where ever would I be without you?" He twiddled and twitched slightly before beseeching a rather stern-faced McGonigall, "Which one threw the hexes, which one threw the jinxes?"

"_It was all one boy!"_ She shrieked, nearly launching herself at the man in her rage. "Have you been listening to a word I have been saying? Three of your students are _hurt _you _daft, old coot!" _It was obvious that the Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry was not below the head of houses.

"Now, now, Minerva. Lets calm down, take a deep breath, and talk things over." Dumbledore demanded, stepping between the sqabling adults and commandeering the conversation. "Please tell me of what happened and perhaps that will make things go smoother." Albus suggested. "Were you present during the incident, Minerva?"

Professor McGonagall shook her head stubbornly. "If I were there none of this would have happened in the first place!"

"Ah," Dumbledore held one hand up to stop her from furthering her comments. "Then you do not know what lead to this incident."

"You can hardly consider two hexed and jinxed boys an 'incident,' Albus!"

"Minerva, please." Dumbledore turned his eyes to the Slytherin Head of House and his Fifth-year Prefect. "Now, I will ask again- Do either of you two know of the details surrounding the events leading up to, or during the duel that took place?"

Both shook their heads.

"We were actually just conversing with each other about the proper procedure about escorting the first-years to the dungeons, but we became sidetracked when Slughorn kept mentioning my father." Lucius looked rather annoyed at this, a rare flurry of emotions rushing to the surface only to be squashed down again as he continued his conversation. "The conversation abruptly ended when we heard a commotion at the far end of the table. When we arrived, that boy," Lucius pointed to the dark-haired boy who was still covering his face, "was balled on the floor with one hand covering his face, and his wand out and pointed at the two who are now out cold on the other cots."

"Did you check his wand?" Dumbledore implored.

Lucius nodded. "He cast an array of spells, some of which I have never seen before. Rather inventive for a first-year. In fact, I am quite positive he made at least one of them himself or learned it from a relative." He nodded, slightly impressed, gazing down at the smaller boy. "I have no clue as to why he did it, though. It was a two-on-one fight. It does seem rather impossible unless he surprised them."

Dumbledore nodded, turning his gaze to the quaking, slight frame of the boy in the cot. "Take your hand away from your face, please, and explain yourself."

The boy nodded mutely, pulling the sleeve away from his face.

Romula expected to at least be able to put a face to the actions that had been talked about thus far, so when she shifted slightly to better see the face of the boy in the hospital bed, she was shocked at how much fresh blood was covering it. It still seemed to be flowing freely from the nearly unrecognizable boy's shattered nose. Nearly unrecognizable, but she could tell that jus beneath the layer of blood and distress was-

"Severus Snape! What on Earth happened to your nose!" McGonagall grabbed his chin and cast a quick cleaning spell on his features, but blood continued to gush from his nostrils, thick and dark. It seemed to coordinate with his hair and flashing black eyes in a rather grotesque way.

"Let the boy go, Minerva!" Madam Pomfrey hollered from the bedside of one of Severus's victims, which was covered in foul-smelling brown lumps that opened to excrete green slime every minute. She really hated to see what the other boy looked like. "I can fix him up faster than you." She grabbed the boy roughly by the chin, prodded his nose violently, and with a loud 'Pop!' that everyone in the room heard, his nose was set back into place. He was also screaming, but the matron ignored that. The boy was the cause of her getting so much work on her first day.

"What happened?" Dumbledore repeated again in a kind voice.

Severus looked up at the man insolently, having already come to the conclusion that everybody was against him in the room. "They called my father a mongrel, sir!" He crossed his arms and looked away angrily.

"Ah!" He nodded his head in understanding of the child's pride. "So you defended your father."

Severus laughed openly at the though. "No, I agree with them. I didn't voice it, but the man is filth."

Several of the teachers exchanged looks of shock before Dumbledore urged him to continue. "What next, then?"

"They called my mother a harlot, among similar words," He shrugged. "She did sleep with my father, so they aren't too far off base. So, I continued eating as though I hadn't heard them." He rubbed his aching nose, still refusing to face his crowd bitterly.

"Then?" Lucius asked this time, interest piqued by the young Slytherin who seemed to hold his own.

The boy 'Hrumphed,' mumbling into his sleeve the rest of the encounter.

"Speak-up, boy." Slughorn encouraged.

"They called me a _Mudblood_! I educated them on the fact that, at _worst_ I am half, seeing as how my mother is Prince, and they punched me! They said, and I quote- 'How dare a Mudblood speak to us like that.'" He turned back to the teachers who had seemingly turned slightly green and gasped each time he used the _M _word. The only person who was unphased by it was Lucius. "So I simply showed them what I could do. They had their wands in their hands, and it was only a matter of time before they remembered something to cast at me. My memory was just better, so after recovering from the punch I bombarded them with all of the spells from the books I could read growing up. Was it excessive? Yes, but I panicked and I take full responsibility for my actions."

"See?" Lucius cut in before anybody could recommend a punishment for the boy, "He is sorry. He knows what he did was wrong. How about you have him serve detentions with me, Professor Slughorn?" He rested his hand on the man's blubbery shoulder. "I will guide this youth from now on. I shall make him my pet project, in a way, by taking him under my wing. I see so much potential in him it would be a pity to punish him too harshly at the beginning of the year."

Slughorn's brow furrowed slightly. "I don't know, Mr. Malfoy. What about-"

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention my father's birthday is coming up." Lucius hinted, "I do hope you will be receiving an invitation."

Slughorn suddenly lost all objections on the matter, instead choosing to take a view of pure optimism about the matter. "On second thought, I think you will do wonders for the child! Two weeks detention to be served with you how ever you see fit." He rubbed his plump hands together in excitement. "Now, about that party-"

"Now is really not the time to discuss such a thing, Professor." Lucius said loftily walking to the slightly stunned Severus and sitting in the cot beside him.

"Dumbledore, did you just see what happened! Horace just allowed his student to bribe him!" McGonagall roared, trying to put a stop to the potions teacher now that she finally had proof.

Dumbledore chuckled as he led his two teachers out making sure they stayed a safe distance away from each other. "He is the Head of House, Minerva. How he chooses to handle things is completely up to him." Dumbledore said back with an amused grin on his bearded face. "Lucius obviously thinks he can help in the situation, give the child the benefit of the doubt."

Lucius smiled to himself as the teachers walked out of the room. He had no doubt that his dealings with them for the rest of the night was finished. He turned to face the new boy, Severus Snape, who seemed to grow tense in his presence. _It is almost as though he expects me to..._

Lucius blinked when it suddenly dawned on him. He turned to the Hogwarts maid, promptly sending her of by telling her he would take a look at the other boys himself. She was obviously not pleased about the arrangement, but she had by then realized that that most of the damage would wear off in a few hours, the rest she needed to look up. She still grumbled about being bossed around in her own hospital wing.

When he turned back to the young boy seated rigidly on the cot next to him he noticed he had become even more uncomfortable. "I won't hit you like the other boys did." Lucius mumbled calmly, in such a low voice that Romula nearly couldn't hear it from her side of the room.

She instantly understood why Lucius sent everyone out of the room before talking to Severus. Although he hardly seemed like a normal, cheery, nice, every day person, he defiantly was not the cold, collected Lucius everybody else saw. She was extremely happy he hadn't noticed her, because if he had she had no doubt the Prefect would have blasted her to kingdom come if he knew she was witness to this.

"That was an amazing bit of spell work, even if it _was_ directed at a few pure-bloods." Lucius frowned, letting Severus see his displeasure clearly.

Severus gulped nervously. It was such a loud action that Romula could both see and hear it from her side of the room. "I didn't mean to-"

"You said they provoked you, baiting you with muggle fighting?" Lucius chuckled. "They are disgraces if they left you with only a broken nose and still wish to call themselves _pure._ You show more potential than most for your age, and a half-blood, no less." He paused a moment, remembering the name Severus gave earlier. "Half-blood Prince... So your mother?"

Severus nodded. "Father hates magic, so I often have to steal on of mother's old books to read it. I would have taken her wand too, but father snapped it before I was born."

"Well, you have a knack for it, despite knowing little more than what you have read. How about during our detention sessions I aid you in your studies." He looked at the two unconscious boys on the cots beside them. "It will be the least I could do, along with sending a degrading letter to these fools' parents. I am sure they will be none to pleased when they discover their children attempted to initiate a muggle brawl."

Lucius stood and began to walk away from the rather stunned Severus. "Oh," he turned back around to face the black-haired youth. "If anybody asks, tell them you are just doing lines for me or something. I have an image to maintain. Cant have it mucked up by going soft on a first-year, no matter how helpful you might be in the future."

Severus nodded uncertainly, and Lucius left just as Madam Pomfrey hustled back into the room. "Lay down! Your nose only just healed!" And with that, The nurse began thrusting potion after potion down the flailing boy's throat.

Romula settled back into her bed, surprised at the conversation she had just witnessed. When she met Lucius on the train he was horrifying, but then again she was curled up in the ground looking feeble and week. If Slughorn was anything to go by, Slytherins seemed to hunger for power, and Severus's display of blasting two other students with frightening looking spells was a definite display of power. He would definitely be accepted in his house for being smart and rather powerful. She just hoped they wouldn't chew him up and spit him back out. He seemed like a nice enough boy from what she remembered on the train.

Soon, Romula was drifting to sleep, completely forgetting about the day to come.

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Yay! I simply had to find a way to make Severus and Lucius on somewhat friendly terms. He is the godfather. I took the idea from this chapter from a quote Sirius says- "_Snape knew more curses when he arrived at Hogwarts than half the kids in seventh year._" And once again I own nothing.


	9. Transformation

Chapter 8: Transformation

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Thanks for the reviews! Hope you enjoy!

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By the time Romula had been roused for lunch around midday she was happy to find the hospital wing empty, aside from herself, Madam Pomfrey, and one unconscious Slytherin from the night before. He was still out cold according to the matron, and he would stay that way until Dumbledore showed her the way out of the castle grounds.

So, Romula helped herself to any food and potions the witch supplied her with. Many of the potions she had never heard of or seen before. She was actually thankful about that for the most part. While the potions did seem to do a far better job than anything her father could afford... they tasted like thrice regurgitated ogre bile. One of the potions even looked and smelled the part.

There were still many hours till the moon's peak when the headmaster arrived, but Romula wished he would have come sooner to save her from the mothering matron, who made it her mission to force food down her gullet every ten minutes.

"Hello, young Remus!" Dumbledore greeted kindly, remembering her preferred name instantly with a smile. "Usually Poppy will accompany you to your new safe-house, but as tonight is your first in my castle, I suggested taking you personally. I want you to feel welcome." He stretched his arm open, inviting her to walk with him down the halls.

"Professor, sir..."

"Yes, Remus?" He smiled down at the small girl before him.

"Won't somebody see us leaving the school?"

The older man smiled, "No, Remus. You see, all of the classes are still in session currently. It is part of the reason I came to pick you up so early. Normally Poppy will take you during dinner time announcements." He continued down the hall with long, graceful steps. Remus had to walk double time in order to keep up with him. "Most classrooms cannot see in this direction, and if they do I have had them fixed with a blind. Each of those blinds have a permanent sticking charm, so rest-assured your secret is safe."

She bobbled her head, shivering uncomfortably when they reached the Entrance Hall's large doors and they eerily swung open without being asked. Dumbledore oddly thanked the wooden doors, and they happily groaned in reply.

As if a creaking door could sound happy, Romula chuckled to herself.

It was still drizzling lightly when they stepped onto the lawn, which made her wish she had grabbed her slicker from her things... before she remembered that she had not seen her things for some time. "Sir, I think I lost my trunk!" She panicked suddenly. That was all she had! How would she survive without it! Worst of all, what would she do if somebody else found it!

"Do not worry, my dear. I had a house-elf carry it up to your room last night. I took the liberties of placing a lock on it as well, just to make sure your roommates don't pry." He passed her a dangling key on a chain and her pounding heart slowly calmed to a reasonable rate.

She still was slightly unsure about this whole thing, though. Was he really okay with having a werewolf student? Why would he be if it could potentially cost him his job if he was found out? Was he actually like most wizards who just wanted to kill her? She wondered all of these things and more while following after the older wizard, not paying attention to where she was going at all.

It felt like confirmation that he was indeed against her when she saw something from just out of her range of vision come flying at her. She just barely managed to jump back in time to find that she avoided the branch of a new, freshly planted tree.

Dumbledore had somehow gotten behind her during her musings and grabbed the scruff of her clothes, dragging her back further from the furious branches that whipped the air. "Perhaps I should have given you a great deal of warning about the willow tree that guards the exit to the school grounds?"

Remus choked, "That is no willow tree."

"Actually, you are right. It is known as a Womping Willow. It is fairly rare, and I made arrangements to have it planted over the entrance to your safe-house so nobody could break in and bother you by accident, and you would be unable to break out."

Remus paled at the thought of having to pass this every month. It was also a rather frightening concept that, should the werewolf decide it wanted a midnight snack it would be quickly torn to pieces. She gulped.

"Not to question your wisdom, sir... but if you planted that thing over the entrance, then how exactly are we suppose to get there without getting shredded?" She ground out, hardly able to take her eyes off of the flailing branches in fear that it might somehow spontaneously grow five meters and reach them.

Dumbledore conjured a long walking stick, making Remus blink in surprise. "Simple my dear! There is a knot at the bottom of the tree. We prod it with this stick, and it will freeze."

She eyed him skeptically. "What? No magic?"

"Ah! Try never to use magic on the tree if at all possible. It is very sensitive to such things. Sending a pulse of magic at the root might actually cause the roots to swell momentarily, like an allergic reaction. That would block off our route, seeing as how the entrance is hidden among them."

Romula nodded and watched him prod the specific root to freeze the branches so she could do it herself latter. It surprised her to notice that the tree didn't seem to target the wooden stick, but it made sense. The thing seemed to work like a Venus Flytrap, but much more violent and with an off switch. It didn't seem to take the wooden pole as a threat.

They swiftly approached the roots before the tree could recover from the momentary stun and they both slid down the gap between the gnarled, weaved roots that could have only been seen when one was right upon it. Remus went first and she was quickly followed by Dumbledore before the branched began moving like they were caught in high winds.

When the tunnel finally bottomed out she was confused at what greeted her on the other side. She simply expected one small empty room to transform in for seven years of her life. What she was given was a beautiful cottage. It had been furnished to look like it had been lived in, and it even had plumbing from the looks of it. The only sign that it was currently not being lived it was the fact that the doors and windows were boarded up.

"Where are we?" Remus instantly asked. "Why did you take me here of all places?" Her voice began to shake as she neared hysterics, but she couldn't help it. The house was beautiful, but come morning it would be destroyed and she would blame herself. She had no doubt that Dumbledore would blame her too, and she wouldn't blame him. The place looked picture perfect.

"This is where I expect you to transform. Everything here was put here under the pretenses of someone moving in to Hogsmeade, but they will never arrive. The rumors will have already caused quite a stir." He walked into the living room and attempted to yank the door open. Green sparks flew in every direction. "I had the master of charms at Hogwarts assist me with several of the barriers I placed here. Trust me, you are not going to be able to harm a soul in the village."

Her face darkened at his words, "The Professor of Charms knows what I am?"

"I am sure he was able to guess, but he does not know who you are. If he figures it out, he wouldn't treat you any differently. You must understand, my dear, he is also discriminated against in the wizarding world for something that is beyond his control." He smiled reassuringly at her.

She glanced at him, not entirely trusting his story. "Why?"

"Oh, you will see. For now I must leave you." Dumbledore bowed his head slightly and dashed past her back towards the tunnel. "Dinner will be starting soon, and I simply must get to the crab-cakes before Hagrid eats them all. Enjoy yourself! Look around! Poppy will come by to get you in the morning."

With that, Dumbledore disappeared up the tunnel and out of sight, leaving a slightly befuddled Remus behind. She simply decided to find the bedroom and wait until nightfall.

0~0~0

People often say that the mind continues to work all through the night, even through sleep. That is where dreams come from, supposedly. Depending on the book, source, or scientist, a person could have between three to one hundred dreams a night.

Some theorists could have possibly fought this idea that the mind stayed active, but Remus knew it was true. Her mind stayed wide awake and conscious of everything that occurred in her monster body. Sure, she felt her physical body pass out most nights in exertion and pain when she changed, but her mind was something she could never escape once it became trapped in the cage many called a werewolf.

It was a lot like one of the unforgivable curses, Romula suspected. Her mind was still her own, but her body wasn't. It wouldn't listen to her tormented cries as it ran, shredded, bit, tore. In fact, the only thing it would register was the pain of the body that she refused to accept as her own. In the morning the only proof that anything happened would be her injuries, torn clothes on the floor, and wrecked room.

There was always that lapse in time, however, between her body's change back, and her screams begging it to stop coming to an end. Often times Romula transformed back into her human body and remained quaking on the floor, begging for it all to end for hours before she realized that it actually had.

The whole ordeal was physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing to the point she was surprised at how personally resilient she had become, and how independent and self-reliant she was that she often came out of the nightmare without any help. She heard from her father and his work buddies how most bite victims eventually came to think of themselves as a wolf in order to form some convoluted coping mechanism. As a result, most werewolves were insane mass murderers.

So, it was no surprise to her when she awoke physically on the floor of the house screaming her lungs dry. Mentally, she had been awake all night.

And that was how Madam Pomfrey found her.


End file.
